ArtFire

This necklace of scintillating colors designed in the style of a Middle Eastern bridal dowry necklace is the perfect opportunity for you to own a piece of the cultural history of the Jewish silversmith community that had lived in Yemen since the time of Solomon. In the early 1900s they moved to the new nation of Israel and the culture is now gone. But these loose components of bride wealth such as the amulet on this piece were left behind in Yemen. We collected many such pieces of Yemen silver over the years. Now I am designing pieces in the Middle Eastern and Central Asian style of jewelry and making them available to those who appreciate them as much as I do.

First, I chose this amulet that, at some time in its service as adornment for a lady's neck, was stained by a spill of henna. Natural enough, because henna is used widely in adorning the female body, especially for weddings. More than a few women in the Middle East decorate areas of their body with floral designs in henna for their marriage.

This amulet was made by hand with primitive hand tools by a Jewish silversmith in Yemen in the early years of the 1900s. The Jewish silversmiths had all immigrated to the new state of Israel by 1948, so we know that this piece was hand crafted probably well before that year.

I surrounded the amulet with the East's favorite colors in gems: rusty red, glowing golden amber and an intense turquoise. What is more, I chose to string 3 tiers of those colors, just to heighten ethnic impact of the piece when worn.

The amulet and the other silver metal pieces date back to the 1930s; the turquoise glass is about 40 years old, while the brick red amber is about 20 or 30 years old. The small turquoise glass beads, the black glass beads and the large and small amber resin beads are possibly more recent. the chain and fastener are modern silver plate.

Measurements:
Necklace = 30 inches (76 cm)
Amulet = 21 mm (0.85 in) x 6 cm (2.3 in)

silver metal, amber resin, glass

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On certain items, the shipping will be free.

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