Making their mark

Making their mark

by | Museums & Exhibitions

Women silversmiths from Oman

Making their mark

Oman is home to a long history of silversmithing. And like in so many parts of the world, traditional jewellery started to be worn less from the 1960s and 70s onwards. Much of it was sold off, and replaced with gold jewellery. As a result, knowledge of the craft and workmanship in creating traditional jewellery dwindled as well. The exposition ‘Making their Mark: women silversmiths from Oman’ in the British Museum highlights a revival in traditional silversmithing. And not any revival: this silversmithing is done by women, researched by women, and presented by women.

Silver bracelet made by Tuful Ramadan, in the exhibition 'Making their Mark: women silversmiths from Oman' in the British Museum

Silversmithing: voices of creators

Central to the exhibition is the work of three female silversmiths. It is not often we get the opportunity to hear from craftspeople themselves, as most research focuses on the wearers. But what of the people who created and made the jewellery? The research project has carried out numerous interviews over several years. The three silversmiths in this exhibition represent three generations: Tuful Ramadan was born in 1949, and sadly passed away in 2021, Mahfouda al-Balushi was born in 1965, and Fatma al-Najjar is from 1992.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Fatma in person at the museum, where she shared her personal experiences and journey in becoming the gifted jewellery designer she is today. While she is still on the path of becoming a silversmith herself, she already designs jewellery with her own brand RAHINA for wearers of today, drawing inspiration from the long history of Omani silver jewellery.

The exhibition shows a pair of earrings and a belt she designed, and when we met, she was wearing a pair of gorgeous, playful silver earrings that jingled along as we made our way through the museum.

For Tuful, picking up the skills of silversmithing was partly family business (she married into a family of silversmithing), and partly out of necessity: after her husband died when she was in her twenties, creating and selling silver jewellery formed her income.

Her passion for the craft resulted in her being awarded several prizes, and the quote printed on the wall reveals how she regarded herself as a woman silversmith; ‘Accuracy is in a woman’s nature. A man also works well, but women are known for making delicate objects’. And indeed, the bracelet in the exhibition is made of dainty, delicate, and incredibly precise chainwork: I loved it.

Mahfouda creates silver attributes and accessories for men. She learned the craft from her father, and designed the most beautiful leather belts for silver daggers (khanjar) that Omani men wear on festive occasions. All of these are made by hand, as are the sheaths and handles of the daggers themselves.

You can hear and see the personal histories of these women, too: the exhibition includes videos of all three silversmiths. A mannequin dressed in dress and silver jewellery from Dhofar provides reference to traditional jewellery all three silversmiths draw their inspiration from; I included an image at the bottom of this post, so keep on reading!

An in-depth look at jewellery: the power of science

The exhibition does more than just showcase jewellery, though. What I found particularly exciting is the scientific research that was part and parcel of this project from the start. Fatma and I were shown around the museum labs by Dr. Aude Mongiatti, where we could see with our own eyes which huge research potential beyond the stylistic and art historian scientific analyses have to offer (and you know I’m always up for looking at jewellery in context!).

Silver earrings created by Fatma al Najjar of RAHINA jewellery, Oman.

Looking at jewellery through a microscope reveals the variety in techniques applied by the silversmiths, and looking beyond the surface of an object tells us more about the composition of the silver and the way it has been handled. With three generations of silversmiths and the museum’s own collection, this opens up exciting new avenues to see how techniques were passed on, developed and adapted over the course of time.

For me personally, this was an eye-opener in terms of research questions I did not even know I had. Of course I am aware of scientific research methods in general, but when it comes to practical uses my technical savvy goes as far as successfully operating a microwave. Having an actual scientist show me in great detail which possibilities exist, and how these may increase our understanding of objects, was mind-blowing and incredibly inspiring!

Making their mark: jewellery research

The exhibition itself is relatively small, but do not be fooled by the size of the room alone. There is a world of generational knowledge, scientific research and heritage in here. The project itself is also run by women, who each bring their own expertise to the table.

Dr. Aude Mongiatti is a scientist, Moza Sulaiman al-Wardi is in charge of the Oman Across Ages Museum in Oman, Marcia Stegath Dorr has decades of experience in Omani heritage, and Dr. Fahmida Suleman is a specialist in ethnography and Islamic art and culture. Together with the silversmiths, they set out to approach the silver heritage of Oman from all avenues: from the molecular to the emotional, from the economic to the meaningful. And in doing so, I believe they set a new standard for ethnographic jewellery research.

This project is a brilliant crossover between museum jewellery and living jewellery, between scholars, scientists and creators, between institutions and communities, between the past and the future. It illustrates how jewellery is never static and may hold different meanings for different people over time.

The title ‘Making their mark’ may be more aptly chosen than the makers realized, and I hope to see many more of collaborations like these in the future!

Detail of Dhofari silver jewellery from Oman.

Where to find more on the exhibition ‘Making their mark: women silversmiths from Oman’?

The exhibition is on show in the British Museum until December 17, 2023. More information can be found on the museum’s website here.

An online talk on this project is available on the YouTube-channel of the British-Omani Society here.

I visited the exhibition on November 2 on my own initiative, without being required to write this blog: I just love sharing something good when I see it!

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Where can I find more on traditional jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa?

More on traditional jewellery from Southwest Asia and North Africa? Browse the jewellery blog here!

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Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

Magic of plastic

Magic of plastic

by | Magic & Amulets

surprising materials

The magic of plastic

Updated Jan 8, 2024

Jewellery made with materials that we consider less valuable, are often not taken seriously. Plastic has that effect in particular, and you may hear comments like: ‘this piece has plastic, so it’s not real’ or even ‘this is a fake because it should have coral instead of plastic.’ But who says that it should…?⁠ Plastic plays a role in ethnic jewellery quite often, and its use extends into the realm of amulets. Here are a few examples.

Silver and enamel brooch from Kabylia, with bakelite
Bedouin woman holding her child, with silver and imitation amber jewellery.
Silver Bedouin ring with turquoise-coloured plastic.
Silver Omani necklace with glowing red bicycle reflector.

Plastics in ethnic jewellery: Bakelite

Bakelite, a type of plastic invented in the early 1900s, was widely used in jewellery production in the early 20th century. Its popularity was due to its durability, versatility, and affordability. It could be shaped, carved, and molded into various forms, making it an ideal material for creating intricate and colorful designs.

So instead of thinking about this material as ‘fake’, I feel the use of bakelite in traditional jewellery highlights the intersection of technology and culture and tells us about the changing social and economic circumstances of that time. It shows how people adapted to new materials and incorporated them into their jewellery.

The bright red of the bakelite in the Kabyle brooch shown above (click to enlarge it) shows both the fascination for this new material, and works miracles for the wearer!

Plastics in ethnic jewellery: Imitation amber

One thing these plastics were used for, is to imitate the costly amber. Amber was valued for a number of reasons, including magical ones: a little more about that is here.

An example is the woman from el-Arish, shown in the photo above (click to enlarge it). Around her neck, visible behind the string of Maria Theresia Thalers her child is playing with, she is wearing a necklace made of dark beads: most likely these are the imitation amber beads in a dark cherry hue as shown in the image.

They also exist as proper amber imitations in an opaque amber colour, and are now rare themselves as they are no longer made. ⁠[1]

Plastics in ethnic jewellery: Colour over material

Plastic is also the material chosen for the Bedouin ring, shown above (click to enlarge it) where a piece of battered and damaged plastic has been carefully set in silver. Judging by the wear, it has kept its wearer safe from harm for a lifetime.

That is by virtue of its colour: these bluegreen shades are considered particularly effective against the evil eye, just like turquoise. This piece of plastic serves that purpose perfectly: it is the colour that matters here, not the material.

A plastic bicycle reflector against evil

A wonderful example of jewellery with apotropaic properties is the silver necklace from Oman shown above. It combines several well-known principles of magical protection, and adds to those a reinforcement of its own.

The colour red is the dominant colour when it comes to averting evil, and is present here in three splashes of vibrant red.

Three is a number that is regarded as beneficial, as it represents the trinities of life: man, woman and child, along with birth, life and death.

The dangles confuse evil with their unpredictable swaying and the sound of their jingling, while the tiny crescent moons bring prosperity and growth. ⁠

But it is the center piece that steals the show: a plastic bicycle reflector. Its reflecting capacity averts evil even more on top of all of the above: imagine how these would shine when they catch a ray of sunlight! ⁠I especially like this necklace as it shows that purpose beats material in some cases: there is nothing precious about a plastic reflector, and yet it may save your life from both evil forces and approaching traffic.⁠

Plastic in ethnic jewellery: a wonderful amulet

So you see how plastic may function as amulet in a range of ways. It can be a substitute for something else (such as imitation amber or coral), it can function as fully equal to other materials because of its colour, and it can even be the material of choice precisely because of its own capacities. In all cases, it would have been as real to the wearer as other materials: it is the desired effect that counts!

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References

[1] See the chapter on imitation amber in King, R. 2022 Amber. From Antiquity to Eternity.

Would you like to quote this article? Please do! Here’s how:

S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.

A shackled jinn from Oman

A shackled jinn from Oman

by | Magic & Amulets

jewellery as protection

A shackled jinn from Oman

Updated June 25, 2025

Jewellery regularly doubles as protection, as it is worn so close to the body. Often this form of protection is of general nature, but every now and then it makes uses of specific elements to ward off a particular evil. This pendant from Oman hides such an element on its reverse side: a tiny figure of a shackled human form. What does this mean, and what does it tell us about the women who wore this necklace?

The image of a jinn on the Omani kirsh kitab

The disc-shaped pendant is known by several names. The most often used name is somt, which is also used for other round pendants of the same size. [1] In one publication it is called kirsh kitab. [2] A similarly shaped pendant with a comparable reverse side is called kokh, again in one publication: this pendant is decorated with gold leaf on its front side rather than an inscription. [3]

The pendant carries an inscription on its front side. This is the Throne Verse, one of the most powerful verses of the Quran and often used for protection. You will find it often on amulets throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

On the reverse side, in many cases you will find a stylized depiction of a human-shaped figure. This is an image only known to the woman wearing it. You would not be able to see it from the outside. Mostly, this figure is explained as a jinn, held captive by the power of the Throne Verse.

As such, these pendants offer protection from evil spirits in general. The figure however is in some cases said to carry a name. This jinn is not any jinn, but a very particular one. So which jinn is this, and why is it engraved on the back side of an Omani pendant?

The jinn on an Omani pendant: the Bahla Witch?

Forster explains the figure as a representation of the Bahla Witch.[4] Bahla, a fortress town in Oman, has a reputation for the presence of both jinn and witches. [5] The pendant would protect the wearer from witchcraft and jinn alike. As this pendant was worn in a much larger area than just Bahla however, this interpretation may well be true for the inhabitants of the town itself, but there is another possibility that would make sense to many women.

The jinn on an Omani pendant: Umm as-Subyān

This other explanation is that of the human figure as Umm as-Subyān, ‘Mother of Children’. [6] This female jinn is well known beyond Oman and appears also further on the Arab Peninsula. But who is Umm as-Subyān?

In the most benign version, she is said to cause nightmares in children and uncomfortable wet dreams for boys in particular. But, there is more to her than just a night filled with bad dreams. She may be really dangerous.

Anne Regourd has researched how this jinn features in Yemeni oral traditions. [7] These tales share a more gruesome side to Umm as-Subyāns character: she lures young children away from their mothers and eats them, and she also takes newborns. Another tale records how she is capable of possessing young men and women, who then can’t seem to marry, no matter how much they try.

Regourd concludes that Umm as-Subyān is intent on preventing the arrival of children. She tries to prevent marriage altogether, and if a union does succeed, she takes and kills the offspring.

In short, Umm as-Subyān embodies what every woman feared: the inability to have children. [8]

Having children: fertility amulets in the Middle East

Why is not having children something to be afraid of? Fertility was one of the most fundamental aspects of a woman’s life. Having children was important: they assisted from a young age in the daily running of household and work, and would take care of their parents when these grew old. Remember, this is a past in which no retirement funds or care-homes existed!

Not having children could even be reason for divorce. Add to that a high infant mortality rate, and the pressure women were undeer becomes apparent. All over the Arab world, jealous jinn were thought to obstruct attempts at getting pregnant and bearing healthy children.

In this respect, Umm as-Subyān is comparable to for example the Qarina in Egypt [9] and La Taba in Morocco [10]. All three target newborns and young children, and cause infertility or miscarriages in young women.

Many women took precautions to make sure these jinn were rendered harmless, and these precautions often took the form of personal adornment. Jewellery is worn close to the body, and so forms a barrier between you, and the outer world full of dangers.

An Omani pendant with a hidden message

In the case of Umm as-Subyān, two ways of averting her are in both the name humans use when talking about her, and the way she is depicted on the pendant. The name ‘Mother of Children’ uses reverse magic. She is called by the exact opposite of her actions, a form often seen in informal magical practices around the world.

In the image on the pendant, the stylized figure is shackled around her ankles and wrists. Immobilized, she is not able to come for the wearers’ children or prevent her from getting married.

Jewellery reveals a woman’s world of worry

As with anything jinn-related, there is not one definitive identification or final explanation. With the presence of the Throne Verse, the pendant protects against evil influences in general.

The tiny shackled figure, in the story of Umm as-Subyān, reveals a world of worry for women, and so the pendant protects them from what well may have been one of their worst fears.

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Where can I find more on women and amulets in the Middle East?

Find out more about the historic value of amulets in the e-course on Amulets and Magic in Jewellery!

Or start by downloading the free e-book on amulets and jewellery here.

More posts on jewellery and amulets? Browse them all here!

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References

See the book chapter on these amulets by James Redman, which discusses the texts and context of precisely this pendant type in much more depth. This chapter was published in Nov 2020, after the writing of this blog post. Highly recommended reading!

 [1] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman. Archway Books, Somerset, p. 38-39

[2] P. Shelton, R. Richmond & M. Morris, Oman Adorned.

[3] J.S. Rajab 1998, Silver Jewellery of Oman. Tareq Rajab Museum, Kuwait, p. 63

[4] Forster 2000, p. 40

[5] See L.J. Borger 2011, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes: Omani Perceptions of the Supernatural. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1039., for a discussion of the supernatural in Omani society.

[6] P. Shelton, R. Richmond & M. Morris, Oman Adorned, p. 102; L. Mols, Kunst uit Zilver. Traditionele sieraden van Oman, in: L. Mols & B. Boelens (red) Oman, p. 137

[7] A. Regourd 2012, Représentations d’Umm Sibyan dans les contes yéménites : de la dévoreuse d’enfant à la djinniyya possédant les humains, in: A. Caiozzo & N. Ernoult (eds), Femmes médiatrices et ambivalentes. Mythes et imaginaires, Paris, Colin, pp. 63 – 72

[8] Regourd 2012, p. 72

[9] See my article in RAWI Magazine for the qarina

[10] J. Bois, La Sorcellerie au Maroc, nouvelle édition 2014, Dar al-Amane, Rabat p. 198.

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The Bedouin Silver Jewellery Blog: Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery, and obtained her PhD at Leiden University on jewellery, informal ritual and collections. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only. Sigrid strongly believes in accessibility of knowledge, and aims to provide reliable and trustworthy content: that’s why the Bedouin Silver blog provides references and citations.

Eastern Treasures

Eastern Treasures

by | Reviews

a visual treasure

Eastern Treasures

Private collections are incredibly important. They add to our understanding of jewellery as heritage in all aspects imaginable, but are often hidden away in drawers and boxes, waiting to be pulled out and shared. Seeing a private collection is always an honour, and the book Eastern Treasures presents us with such an opportunity. It shares the collection of jewellery designer Oytun Evliyazade Camcigil, and is an absolute visual feast!

The collection has been put together by Oytun over three decades, and consists of pieces from the Ottoman world, Oman, Yemen and Turkmenistan. Eastern Treasures is a large volume of well over 300 full-colour pages filled with many marvelous pieces. As a jewellery designer, these pieces have inspired her in her own creations and the purpose of the book is to share photographs of the collection and her knowledge of these original jewellery pieces (p. XII).

Overview

The book starts with a preface and introduction that both serve to introduce Oytun’s love for jewellery and her appreciation of how jewellery functioned as more than just adornment. After that, the first chapter explores the use of jewellery as amulet and talisman in a selection of materials and forms. The main body of the book is formed by the four chapters on Ottoman, Omani, Yemeni and Turkmen jewellery, of which the Omani chapter is the largest. Each chapter is introduced with a brief description of the area presented (with maps! I love maps, they make it so much easier to visualize where we should picture the jewellery coming from), and then a wide variety of jewellery is shown in large photographs. After these four chapters follows a section on Oytun’s own creations, and the final chapter is on jewellery making techniques.

Ottoman jewellery

The Ottoman section contains examples of a variety of jewellery. Here, we see how jewellery is not limited to individual countries, such as in a niello bracelet from Diyarbakir that was also worn and produced in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, some 300 kilometers further (p. 59).

Omani jewellery

The focus of attention in the book is definitely the chapter on Omani jewellery, which is by far the largest: with 113 pages, it takes up about one third of the entire book. Here, we see the length and width of Omani silversmithing in a wide array of techniques, forms and decorations. You will not simply see a single sample piece, but a multitude of similar pieces within a type which, upon closer inspection, all are unique. As Oytun writes for example in the caption of a collection of bracelets: ‘Although similar in appearance, each has a different motif and is therefore unique’ (p. 110). In this chapter most of the pieces shown are also listed with their vernacular name. Zooming in further, close up photos show details such as the opening and closing of an amulet container (p. 136) or the opening mechanism of anklets (p. 118). The collection itself is of excellent quality, with several rare items such as a piece of hair decoration (p. 188) or amulet bottle stoppers (p. 159). Very rare and informative is the detail of an original Maria Theresia Thaler, struck in 1763 (p. 154-155).

Yemeni and Turkmen jewellery

I enjoyed reading the section on Yemeni jewellery in tandem with Marjorie Ransom’s book Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Oytun’s pieces add to those depicted in Marjorie’s book and going through both of them was a real pleasure as they amplify one another. The section on Turkmen jewellery at the end is brief, but contains a beautiful example of a child’s dress that is showed front and back on two individual pages, which provides the opportunity to admire it in detail.

Creations

Having read all these chapters, the next section on Oytun’s own creations is wonderfully put into context. The love she has for the style and aesthetic of traditional jewellery is clearly visible in her designs, and as she writes herself, using old components in new designs extends their lifespan (p. 263). The way Eastern Treasures is written from the point of view of a designer inspired by these heritage pieces, is yet another angle from which to appreciate and value the long life of jewellery and to have a perspective on that longevity. When the author writes ‘For us to be able to enjoy our future, we need to treasure and value our past’, I could not agree more.

Layout and photography

This is very much a photographic book, with most of the available space devoted to photography.* Jewellery pieces have been carefully arranged against backdrops such as old doors, wooden print blocks, pieces of coral and shell, a variety of fabrics and even rice and lentils (which work really well), but in the Omani section also worn on models, which really brings them to life. The large format of the book and the generous size of the photographs make for hours of gazing and enjoying the many stunning pieces. Each caption contains a description of the jewellery piece presented and points out particular details. Often additional information is added as briefly well, such as who would wear the piece or what its significance was. The text and captions are not referenced, so there is no telling whether the information shared is based on literature research or from Oytun’s many conversations with women and jewellery dealers (p. XVI) or both, but there is a helpful overview for further reading at the end of the book. An index at the end makes for easy searching within the volume.

An important resource for Omani jewellery

The power of this book is in its careful selection of jewellery pieces from a clearly defined geographical area, and notably in its splendid collection of Omani jewellery. With many books on Omani jewellery out of print or difficult to obtain, Eastern Treasures provides an important visual reference collection for Omani jewellery. It’s safe to say you will not find a comparable collection of Omani jewellery in another book that is currently available. Eastern Treasures is an absolutely beautiful photographic book that will add to your understanding of the variety within silver jewellery, and above all, will bring you much joy!

Eastern Treasures. Ottoman Oman Yemen Turkmen Jewellery (2017). By Oytun Evliyazade Camcigil.

316 pp, full colour, in English.

Available through publisher Gilgamesh through Amazon or with the author.

The book was purchased from Oytun directly.

*Three images have their colour balance off and appear more yellow, however, these do not make the book any less spectacular.