Binding magic in jewellery

Binding magic in jewellery

by | Magic & Amulets

keeping it together

Binding magic in jewellery: pins

Updated Jan 28, 2024

The most mundane, everyday things can be transformed into magical objects simply by analogy, and that is what makes this form of magical activities so relatable. Fastening something is one of those acts that can carry a deeper meaning, and the object that goes with it becomes important, too. And clothing pins, also known as fibulas, are perfect for that goal!

Pinning a fibula: the magic behind it

This is basically a specific form of binding magic, where pins to keep clothing together gain a different meaning.

I talked about the magic of tying and girding in another blog post, and pinning your clothing together works along the same lines. The clothing pins that are used to keep fabric together, can be transformed into very powerful magical objects when they are used in ritual.

The analogy is of course very clear: a clothing pin holds two separate pieces of dress together, and so it would also be very useful in rituals to keep persons together.

When you fasten a fibula (see how to do that here), you actually have to carry out a number of steps: it does not close automatically by itself. And that is where the magic is, in those acts of deliberately fastening…clothing pins are the perfect object for love-magic!

Fibula magic in ancient times

The Romans already used their pins or fibulas (the Latin word is still in use to indicate these pins) as such. Some 2,000 years ago, you could buy an inscribed fibula to present to a lady: it would say something like ‘Hello, gorgeous!’, or, if you were bolder, ‘mix yourself with me’ – I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what they meant by that!

The point is that the fibula would work as a magical tool. [1] Once the lady in question would pin her clothes with it, it was hoped your relationship with her would immediately grow stronger.

Some 1,000 years earlier, three imported bronze fibulas were left behind in a shallow pit on the edge of a moor in The Netherlands. They were a gift to the gods, or whatever beings were believed to inhabit that place, and they were a precious gift, too.

Those fibulas were imported from Scandinavia and did not form part of traditional dress in what later would become The Netherlands: a treasure worthy of the gods. [2] You’ll see it in the collage below.

Gloomy photo of a swamp with a Bronze Age jewellery hoard

Fibula magic in North Africa

In a different world and a different time, fibulas have a very similar protective power. In Morocco, clothing pins are considered powerful because their sturdy pin has the power to harm the evil eye, a meaning also found widely in the rest of the Maghreb. [3]

Many shapes on fibulas are designed to attract good fortune and to keep evil at a distance, while their triangular form alludes to the powers of the number 3 (see more about the magic of numbers in this blog post). Fibulas are also the perfect piece of jewellery to attach amulet boxes to, which would be suspended from either the fibula itself or from the chain between them.

But here as well, their importance as something that holds to halves together, shines through.

The fibulas are part of the dowry, given to the bride by her husband and his family, and here the magic of pinning reinforces the bond between both the husband and wife and their respective families.

Adorning the bride with her jewellery, including fastening her fibula set, was part of the transformative magic in Libya, which would accompany the bride during her transition from unmarried girl to married woman. [4]

Belt buckle magic in Europe

And that power of fastening is found as a theme in other parts of the world, too.

Belt buckles function in much the same way: they, too, hold something together. As such, it became very popular as a form in European rings from the 17th century onwards. The belt buckle symbolized eternal love and loyalty – even beyond death, which is why you will also find it in mourning rings. Together with the shape of the ring itself as an endless cycle, the belt buckle firmly connects two halves for all eternity.

Pinning, fastening, closing: magic in adornment

So whether it is clothing pins or belt buckles: by fastening something, humans have tried to influence the natural course of events for millennia!

—

Find out more about the histories behind 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!

Join the Jewellery List and receive new articles, jewellery news and more in your inbox!

—

References

[1] Peter Wells notes that fibulas in Europe’s prehistory, when they are depicted, are always shown ‘open’, and wonders if that has something to do with magic: nothing is definitive yet, nothing is sealed, the future is open. Wells 2012, How Ancient Europeans Saw the World, p.111.

[2] I wrote about these in Bos, J. & S. van Roode 2019. Landschap vol Leven. BLKVLD Uitgevers Publishers.

[3] Cynthia Becker, Amazigh Textiles and Dress in Morocco. Metaphors of Motherhood, in: African Arts vol 39 no. 6 (2006), p. 44

[4] Elena Schenone Alberini, Las mujeres Libias en la litteratura oral. Ritos de paso y roles de genero, in: Orafrica no 6, 2010.

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.

Tenues des Touaregs

Tenues des Touaregs

by | Reviews

half a century of archive

De la féérie des sables/Tenues des Touaregs

Updated June 25, 2025

Like private collections, private archives are of great importance. It is through these that we may understand the context of collected things, but all too often, personal archives end up forgotten. That is why the two books about Tuareg dress and personal appearance by Dr. Catherine Vaudour are such treasures: they are dedicated to sharing half a century of research and documentation.

 

The Tuareg inhabit a vast region: from Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in the north to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in the south. Within this enormous region, many regional varieties in dress and personal appearance exist. Michel Vallet has documented Tuareg dress and adornment for half a century, between 1957 and 2007. During this timeframe, he carried out numerous visits to all corners of the Tuareg realm and documented his experiences in great detail: in photographs, but also superb drawings and gouaches, notes, maps and sketches.

Michel Vallet passed away in 2018, but wanted his work to be published. Dr. Catherine Vaudour, an ethnolinguist researching the Kel-Ajjer in Algeria, has taken it upon herself to make his work available to a larger audience. She is the founder of the Association Tatrit [1], aimed at preserving the material and immaterial heritage of the Tuareg. One of the many things she has initiated to this end is curating an exposition of a part of Michel Vallet’s work in Nantes (2015-2016), which allowed visitors to explore the world of the Tuareg through its material culture and the meticulous notes and drawings of Michel Vallet.

With this exhibition, a book was published: De la féérie des sables…cinquante ans chez les Touaregs – Fonds Michel Vallet. This beautiful book presents the full texts of the exhibition as well as many drawings and photographs. Starting out with a chapter on the linguistic variety in the Tamasheq language family, the reader is introduced to the way of living of the Tuareg: tents, herding, trading. A fold-out map with the various peoples belonging to the Kel-Tamasheq, ‘the people who speak Tamasheq’ is particularly illustrative as it shows the wide variety of the Tuareg world, which is often represented as a monolithic entity. After this introduction, the book continues with a treasure of detailed information on number of aspects of personal appearance: arms, veils, hairstyles, dress, personal care, and of course jewellery. That is not all: camel-riding and gear, music and poetry follow. And ‘detailed’ really does mean detailed: beautiful drawings of hairstyles, how to wrap a veil, forms of shields, shoes, schematics on how to mount and dismount a camel are presented alongside photographs that bring the Tuareg world to life in all its elegance and splendour.

The volume Les Tenues des Touaregs – Fonds documentaire de Michel Vallet, which followed in 2019, is an extraordinary work which presents the documentary archive left by Michel Vallet in more detail. It focuses on outfits and presents both male and female dress, once again in great detail. The diversity of jewellery shown itself is enormous and I enjoyed seeing how here, too, lines between peoples are blurred: ornaments often only labeled as ‘Tuareg’ are also worn by the Fulani and Ayneha, jewellery pieces such as the hawafir-necklaces and shariyyah-necklaces are worn by the Tuareg as well. Apart from jewellery, there is a wide variety of dress, headgear and other items of personal appearance. And finally, this volume also presents body aesthetic like temporary facial tattoos, even more hairstyles, schematics of dress, shoes and pieces of jewellery. Throughout the book, we see how dress and adornment evolve over time: there is no such thing as ‘static’ dress and this book testifies to change and exchange in great detail.

Both books include an overview of Michel Vallet’s life and a short bibliography. These bibliographies shed an interesting light on the Vallet archive as well. Judging from both bibliographies, only very few other studies have been used in compiling these two publications. You will not find the work of other scholars such as Dr. Anja Fischer, Dr. Thomas K. Seligman or Bert Flint here, for example, or even a single reference in another language than French. That means that the Michel Vallet archive retains its value as its own original source: the names of things, the customs, the ways of dressing and adorning are all as he observed them and noted them down. Both books have been published with great care and a scholarly eye for detail, but without secondary interpretations or placement in the current state of research in this field. This makes for an excellent starting point for comparison between this and other works in the field of Tuareg research: both books present an absolutely unique point of view. This is an original archive that has all the potential to further studies into Tuareg culture – and it is published and available.

It is only too sad that Mr. Vallet has not seen this publication of his life’s work. We should be indebted to dr. Vaudour for her tireless and knowledgeable efforts in achieving these publications, because like I said at the beginning: archives like these are easily forgotten, while they hold an immense amount of information of a world that is changing fast. The onerous task of inventorying, selecting and finally publishing is not an easy one, but I do hope these two books show how personal archives may be shared with researchers worldwide.

These are books that are of great importance, and I would even say they are indispensable for anyone interested in Tuareg dress and adornment. The drawings are breathtaking and plentiful, the photographs are a perfect complement in showing the objects of dress and adornment worn, the maps are illuminating and helpful, and the many sketches of construction details of for example leather bags will have you peer over them for hours. My recommendation would be to purchase both books, as they complement and build on one another. If you do not read French, don’t let that stop you: the books both contain about 95% images and these alone themselves are worth having on your shelf as a resource. Both are squarely in the category of ‘must-have’ reference books!

Les Tenues des Touaregs. Fonds documentaire de Michel Vallet. By Catherine Vaudour, 2019.

Full colour, 311 pages, in French. Published by Association Tatrit (48 euros)

 De la féérie des sables…cinquante ans chez les Touaregs – Fonds Michel Vallet. By Catherine Vaudour, 2016.

Full colour, 113 pages, in French. Published by Association Tatrit (30 euros)

Both books can be ordered with the Association Tatrit via email: association.tatrit@gmail.com

I purchased both books with the author.

More rare books on personal adornment and cultural history? See my picks for you here, or join the Jewellery List to receive new reviews as they come out!

—

References

[1] The Association Tatrit does not have a website yet, but one is in the works. Once it is live, I will add the direct link. In the meantime, learn more about their work here (opens a pdf-file)

The Bedouin Silver blog gives credit where credit is due! Transparent referencing and citing sources helps us all grow. Would you like to do the same and quote this article? 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].

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.

Le Khôl

Le Khôl

by | Reviews

Kohl containers in france

Le Khôl

Another lovely book on kohl containers! The Musée International de la Perfumerie in Grasse, in southern France, hosts an exhibition on kohl containers in the winter of 2021-2022: Le Khôl. Le secret d’un regard envoûtant venu d’Orient. The exhibition is accompanied by a concise publication in magazine format, in which various authors provide background information on this elaborate private collection.

The museum was donated a private collection of 268 kohl containers, collected over four decades by Mme. Leblanc in various parts of the world. She describes in the chapter on the history of her collection how she first became enamored with kohl containers in 1967, whilst living in Africa, and how after those first pieces her collection expanded gradually until it encompassed hundreds of pieces from several continents.

A chapter on the history of kohl containers by the head of the department North Africa-Middle East of the Quai Branly-Musée Jacques Chirac, Hana Chidiac, explores how eye make-up was used from Antiquity through the Middle Ages into our own timeframe, as well as how the meaning of kohl was perceived throughout time. Hélène Kessous, anthropologist specialized in India, contributed a chapter on the uses of kohl in India, including the differences between kohl, surma and kajal as well as their respective containers. I enjoyed that this chapter also included a recipe for kajal, as well as short discussions on the magical aspects of kohl and its presence in movies.

The second part of the book is a catalogue of kohl containers from various parts of the world, which I enjoyed reading in tandem with Paint It, Black, the existing and elaborate publication on kohl containers. Le Khôl complements Paint It, Black geographically with kohl containers from further afield such as China, Central and Southwest Asia, adding to your overview of these wonderful items.

Throughout the book, the kohl containers are shown in large, full colour photographs, which make this book a publication you’ll enjoy browsing through. Not all containers in the collection have been included: a selection has been presented, but the pieces shown are varied both geographically and in their shapes and materials, so there is plenty to see and enjoy. The terminology is sometimes a bit Orientalist, using words like secrets, beguiling, seductive, and mysterious – the book does not need these, as the individual chapters and catalogue are interesting enough by themselves.  Le Khôl is a short, sweet presentation of a private collection of kohl containers in a luxurious magazine format, that you will want to add to your bookshelf!

Le Khôl. Le secret d’un regard envoûtant venu d’Orient, by Ludmilla Renardet & Julie Gérard (eds), Editions Faton, 2021

63 pp, full-colour, in French. Available with the publisher, the Musée International de la Parfumerie and online.

The book was purchased through the Institut du Monde Arabe.

Browse other books on personal adornment here!

More on the use of kohl is in the e-course Scents of the Middle East – bringing you the invisible world of fragrance, make-up, henna, hairstyles and much more.

Be the first to know about new books, exhibitions and other jewellery news: join the Jewellery List and receive updates in your inbox!

Sigrid van Roode

Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. She considers jewellery heritage and a historic source. She has authored several books on jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, and on archaeological jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the Society of Jewellery Historians, the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, among many others. She curates exhibitions and teaches online courses on jewellery from North Africa & Southwest Asia.

Magic of Amber

Magic of Amber

by | Magic & Amulets

Magic of amber

amber throughout history

Amber Amulets

Updated Jan 17, 2024

One of the most used components in jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia is amber. This fossilized resin has been popular as adornment since prehistoric times, and has been attributed with a variety of magical capacities throughout millennia. What is the significance of amber? Let’s explore how amber has been the go-to substance in a surprisingly large field of problems!

The power of amber: the Roman period

Amber was already highly valued by the Romans, who attributed a great deal of capacities to this material. It was thought to help against throat diseases, to alleviate fever, solve ear aches and problems with sight, and cure stomach pains and problems in the urinary trajectory. [1]

Notably, amber was believed to be specifically effective for women and children; when a woman dreamt of amber ringer rings, this was considered a beneficial omen. [2]

Its scent may also have played a role in its magical powers: rubbing an amber object firmly produces a resinous fragrance. Evidence of amber dice that have been rubbed vigorously in the past may show that gamers sought to influence their throw by activating the magical powers of amber [3], although, as we shall see, I think its static capacity may also have helped to attract winners’ luck.

The fragrance of amber may also be the reason why it was sometimes burned in ritual settings: archaeology only recovers the remains, but it may have been its smell that was the key behind this practice.

Amber in medieval amulets

Amber continued to be much appreciated in the Middle Ages. What people in Europe thought of its powers only becomes clear in the 13th century, when it is listed in a book on the healing capacities of stones as excellent remedy against stomach ache. [4]

A piece of amber was to be put in wine, beer or water and left to sit there for some time, after which you would take it out and drink the fluid – this method of transferring the magical capacity of a substance to a fluid that can be consumed has existed for millennia.

The use of amber against urinary problems was also still very much alive in the Middle Ages: imbuing milk with amber as described above would lighten your load. Here again, the magic works following the lines of analogy, this time because of its yellow hues.

Coral and amber Draa Valley necklace
A glorious Draa Valley amber and coral necklace with colourful woollen tassels

Amber in amulets from the Middle East

In Arabic, amber is called kahramān. Here another magical use reveals itself: the name is related to kahrabah, meaning electricity. When real amber is rubbed, it becomes slightly static. This makes it an excellent substance to attract the love of a husband, as the Bedouin in Palestine believed. [5]

And who knows, maybe the amber carving of Amor, the god of love, from the Roman period served the same purpose…?

Amber also is very powerful against the evil eye in general. The combination of its fragrance (as was already the case with the Romans) and its quality to keep evil at a distance makes it a highly valued prayer bead: these are also held, rubbed and passed through the fingers many times. [6]

Amber in amulets from North Africa

Like in many other parts of the world, amber is used to dispel teething pains. [7] In a way of analogous magic similar to that of earlier periods and cultures, it is considered a warming and invigorating substance. This is why the Amazigh also consider it very useful against rheuma and respiratory inflictions, as well as against skin diseases.

Additionally, to the Amazigh amber represents the warmth of the sun, and as such forms a natural pair with silver elements that invoke the power of the moon. As amber was so highly valued for its beneficial properties as well as visual expression of wealth, amber beads were often strung with small felt pieces in between to keep the beads from damaging. [8]

The long history of amber as an amulet

So what you see, is that the qualities of amber occur in more or less similar forms time and again. It was believed to be useful against ear aches in both ancient Rome and modern Egypt, it works its magic against stomach aches and respiratory problems from the Maghreb to the Levant, and has helped babies through their teething pains since the Middle Ages. Amber has captivated the human imagination since forever!

—

What other materials were used in amulets?

Want to see more? Check out the video page, where I’m showing a stunning necklace from Morocco with absolutely gorgeous amber beads!

Find out more about the magic of materials in the e-course on Amulets and Magic in Jewellery!

There is a free e-book on amulets in jewellery ready for you here…discover how they work!

Articles like these in your inbox? Join the Jewellery List today and stay in the loop on all things jewellery.

—

References

[1] Koster, A. 2013. The Cemetery of Noviomagus, p. 174

[2] Davis, G. 2018. Rubbing and Rolling, Burning and Burying: The Magical Use of Amber in Roman London, in: Parker, A. & S. McKie 2018. Material Approaches to Roman Magic. Occult Objects and Supernatural Substances. Oxbow Books, Oxford, p. 71

[3] Idem, p. 75

[4] Hildegard von Bingen, Heilsame Schöpfung, übersetzt und eingeleitet von Ortrun Riha, Beuroner Kunstverlag 2016, p. 278

[5] Biasio, E. 1998. Beduinen im Negev, Zürich, p. 221

[6] Idem, p. 221-222

[7] Draguet, M. 2021. Berber Memories, p. 350

[8] Berber Women of Morocco, Fondation Pierre Bergé/Yves Saint Laurent 2014, p. 73

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.