Ethnic jewels: silver content

Ethnic jewels: silver content

by | Tips for collectors

silver grades in tribal jewellery

Ethnic jewellery: its silver content

Published Jan 07, 2024

What silver is ethnic jewellery from the Middle East and North Africa typically made of? Apart from hallmarks, you’ll find a variety of labels used in descriptions such as ‘German silver’, ‘nickel silver’, ‘maillechort’ and ‘coin silver’: what are these? Let’s scrutinize some of the common descriptions of the silver content in jewellery. The more you know, right…?

Silver grades in traditional jewellery from the Middle East & North Africa

Silver in traditional Middle Eastern jewellery is not always sterling silver. That has two reasons.

First, the availability of silver was not always guaranteed. Silver often had to be imported, and silver jewellery could also be made from coins (we’ll get into that below).

And second, before hallmarking systems were implemented in the 19th century, the actual amount of silver could vary with the means of the client. Have more to spend? Then you could afford high grade silver. Still want the looks, but strapped for cash? That is where lower grade silver or even silver imitations come in handy.

Is ‘bedouin silver’, ‘tribal silver’ or ‘ethnic silver’ good silver?

This fluctuation in silver content has rubbed off on our understanding of traditional jewellery. Words like ‘tribal silver’ or ‘bedouin silver’ are often used to indicate uncertain silver content, but that does not do these pieces justice.

Traditional silver jewellery is not automatically always inferior to sterling: there is a lot of ethnic jewellery out there in really good silver!

If you’d like to know with certainty whether your traditional Middle Eastern jewellery is made of silver, and if so which grade, you will have to test it, or bring it to a jeweler to test it for you.

The silver content may vary indeed, and if a piece has not been hallmarked, testing is the only way to be sure. This also comes in handy with cleaning: read why this is essential knowledge to avoid damage here.

Silver grades in traditional jewellery: reading descriptions

In some descriptions online that advertise ethnic jewellery you’ll find terms like ‘German silver’, ‘coin silver’ ‘maillechort’ and ‘nickel silver’: how ‘silvery’ are these?

Not silver: German silver, new silver, nickel silver, maillechort, alpaca

What does German silver mean? German silver is a versatile metal alloy that has found its place in many industries and applications. Despite its name, German ‘silver’ does not actually contain any silver. It was developed in the 19th century in Germany (hence the name) as a cost-effective alternative to sterling silver, providing a similar silvery appearance, but without the hefty price tag.

German silver is typically composed of copper, zinc, and nickel. [1] The exact composition can vary, and additional elements such as manganese or iron can be included for specific properties. The inclusion of nickel makes it resistant to corrosion, but also gives it that silver-like color. It looks a lot like sterling silver! You’ll find it used for tableware and related accessories, but also for jewellery.  

German silver, nickel silver, alpaca, new silver and maillechort are basically the same thing. None of these are actual silver.

Actual silver: coin silver

Coin silver, on the other hand, is actual silver. So what is coin silver? This is a historical silver alloy that played a significant role in the production of coins, which is where it gets its name from.

But unlike sterling silver, which has a minimum silver content of 92.5%, coin silver typically has a lower silver content. Now this is something to be aware of: the silver content of coin silver varies per issuing national mint. This, too, was not standardized until the mid-19th century. So, US coins would typically have around 90% silver, but other coinage contains 75% or even 64% silver.

The exception here is of course the Austrian Maria Theresia Thaler. [2] This was the first coin to have been produced with a guaranteed silver content of 92.5%: these coins were made of sterling silver. They became much sought-after coins, both to string into necklaces or add to dress and veils, but definitely also as material to make silver jewellery from.

Silver content of jewellery from the Middle East & North Africa: 3 points

Returning to the main question: is silver jewellery from North Africa & the Middle East made of good silver…? That varies, as this article has shown, but there is no reason to assume it is always low-grade silver. Here are the three main points to keep in mind:

1. Definitely silver There are two ways of being sure your piece of jewellery is of actual silver: official hallmarks and testing. This will tell you the percentage of silver in the alloy: .600 is 60%, .925 is 92.5% (sterling), and so on.

2. May have a significant silver content When ‘coin silver’ is used in a description, it indicates that the piece does contain silver, but its silver content may vary, especially for older pieces. Testing may provide more detailed insights.

3. Not silver: When you read terms like nickel silver, German silver, new silver, alpaca or maillechort in a description, you can be sure the item is not made of silver.

If you are not sure, ask the seller of the item. I have never met a seller who wasn’t happy to answer to the best of their knowledge! And besides, the cultural and historical value of a piece of traditional jewellery is not just defined by its silver content, but may even be in the absence of precious materials: see my personal outlook on the value of jewellery here.

The main thing is to be aware of the fact that the silver content in traditional jewellery may vary, and to read a description carefully to get the best possible idea of what your next purchase is made of!

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References

[1] See more details in the Encyclopedia Brittanica here.

[2] See this article on Maria Theresia Thaler in Aramco World for more background!

 

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.

Can I wear ethnic jewellery?

Can I wear ethnic jewellery?

by | Opinion

appropriation or exchange

Can I wear jewellery from other cultures?

Updated Jan 11, 2024

This is a question I get a lot: from dancers, from jewellery collectors, from people interested in other cultures. And the follow-up question is often ‘….or is that cultural appropriation?’In this article, I’ll give you three pointers to reach an informed decision for yourself.

I also get asked ‘why does this matter? It’s simply cultural exchange!’ – well, yes and no. There is a difference between the two, and, being a historian, I’d like to explore that, too. Because that difference is very relevant to how we look at jewellery from other cultures.

So here we go!

Awareness of cultural appropriation in jewellery

Obviously, being aware of cultural appropriation is extremely relevant when working with heritage of other people, and that includes jewellery. But what is, and what is not, cultural appropriation is the subject of ongoing debate.

There are many aspects to cultural appropriation that need to be considered, and there is not a single, straightforward, open-and-shut definition of this complex reality. [1] The point where cultural exchange turns into cultural appropriation, is often oversimplified by presenting these two concepts as equal: ‘People using elements from other cultures is normal. Just look at history!’

I feel that is cutting corners, and so I’d like to explore that statement a little further.

Historic exchange of jewellery styles

Let me be clear: throughout history, cultures have always assimilated elements from others. I talk at length about cultural exchange and influences over the course of millennia in the e-course on History myself for example, and it is actually one of the elements of adornment and dress that I enjoy the most.

Jewellery is a visual testimony to exchange and adaptations, and it is through jewellery that we can literally see how cultures influenced each other. If we never assimilated anything from other cultures, we would probably still be stuck in prehistory.

Change and exchange are normal. They are the one constant throughout millennia of human cultural expressions.

But in my opinion, that is not what cultural appropriation is.

How to recognize cultural exchange

When you look at history, you’ll see that cultural exchange often is for the long run. An assimilated element is here to stay: it becomes fully engrained in the other culture. As such, it may change form, meaning and significance on the long term.

That may be as status symbol at first (‘look what exciting new material I have!’) [2] or hesitantly (‘this might be the fashion of those new people, but I’m not having any of it’)

Cultural exchange does not even have to come about peacefully: it’s not all trade, commerce and marriage, but also wars, conquest and colonization.

Whatever the many machinations of cultural exchange, the end result is often that the assimilated element has become an integral, living and changing part of its new culture, so much so that it in turn may be passed on to yet another culture. Like jeans, or the paisley motif.

How to recognize cultural appropriation

Cultural appropriation, on the other hand, is using something from another culture fleetingly. There are four basic symptoms to recognize this.

1 Short term. One element is taken out of its context and used on a temporary basis, like a pattern in a seasonal fashion collection. It never becomes an integral, living and changing part of its new culture. Like Madonna wearing Amazigh attire for her birthday party: a single occasion without investment in amplifying Amazigh voices (at least, that I know of!).

2 Unequal power dynamic. The party that takes the element, has a bigger platform and more resources than to the party that it is taken from. Think major brands, popstars, but also countries: rebranding heritage dress and adornment to fit a new narrative is a very vicious way of silencing and erasing the culture of entire populations.

3 Profit. There is usually a very clear element of profit for one party. That can be exposure, but of course clearly also financial profit.

4 No fair share or credit. The party that the element is taken from, is not credited, consulted, or sharing in the profit or exposure that the other party generates.

Cultural appropriation is purposefully taking an aspect of another culture to use that for one’s own gain, without credit or a firm grasp on what this actually means in and to its original culture. It is performative only, not intrinsically meaningful.

That is why it is offensive and hurtful: it reduces the values of an entire culture to a quick and profitable fashion or performance statement. It gets even worse when the element is misattributed to another people entirely. More about that is here.

Wearing jewellery from other cultures is not automatically ‘cultural exchange’.

In some cases, the ‘historical cultural exchange’ argument is actually enabling a harmful power dynamic to continue. It’s washing over a deliberate form of capitalizing with an acceptable varnish of culture: it’s historic, so it’s fine.

To me, that is a disregard of history itself. First, there are so many examples of historic realities that are anything but fine. And second, an oversimplification like this shows a lack of understanding of historic processes.

But take note: that argument is valid in the other direction as well.

Not everything adopted from another culture is automatically ‘appropriated’, either: those slow wheels of history are still turning. When cultures get in contact with each other (and we are now more than ever, through social media and the Internet, but also through migration), they will slowly and inevitably absorb elements from one another.

The point is to keep a watchful eye out for fleeting usurpation in an unequal power dynamic with profits flowing in one direction only.

And still, the lines between exchange, appropriation and appreciation are blurred. Cultural appropriation is a multi-faceted topic with many layers. That does not make it any easier, but it should not be brushed aside with a simple ‘it’s the way of history’.

So, can I wear jewellery from other cultures? 

Here are three pointers to make an informed decision.

Is it not authentic, but newly made and inspired by other cultures? Ask if the culture that the jewellery is based on, is acknowledged, shares in the profit or has been compensated for their collaboration in the design. This is particularly relevant for larger brands: small businesses will usually tell you what their core values are and where their cultural inspiration comes from. (although, be advised there are small businesses that shamelessly steal designs from online images, so it never hurts to ask!)

Is it authentic and clearly from a particular culture? Consider your pieces as part of that larger cultural context. Inform yourself about the culture this jewellery comes from as well as its cultural significance. If you’re buying jewellery from a seller in its culture of origin, ask after its meaning, its name and its history.

Treat jewellery respectfully. This is a total no-brainer, but you don’t want to be wearing antique jewellery carrying religious texts pinned on your butt, for example. Basically, you’d want your grandmother’s personal items being treated with love and respect, too, after all, and that is no different for other people’s grandmothers.

With awareness and acknowledgement of the culture your pieces come from, understanding their cultural significance and using your platforms to be vocal about both, you can do both: admire and celebrate beautiful pieces and support and amplify the voices of communities whose heritage this is!

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References

[1] An excellent start is this blog, or this one

[2] Wolfgang Grulke shows such incorporation in his book Adorned by Nature

See also this two-part blog by Jenna Nordman on intellectual property and commercial cultural appropriation.

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.