Gorgeous one of a kind jewish Bawsani antique Yemeni Earrings. The filigree is a traditional jewish yemeni technique, done showing the craftsmen expertise.
This design shows a filigree flower, and lovely dangling silver bells to avoid bad spirits. All Yemeni jewellery is used as a talisman to protect the wearer.
The top shows antique Red Mediterranean coral, usually present in jewish yemeni pieces as it´s believed that it purifies the blood and protects from bleeding. The coral found in Yemen comes from the times of the trade with Levante area, when Yemen exported coffe beans, and received Red Italian Coral as payment.
Measures are: 15 grms, 6 cm height.
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If you are interested in this pair, please contact me at: anisa189@hotmail.com
Antique pair of Hadrami silver earrings, sourced from the East of Yemen, the Hadramaout region. The design shows the classic geometric patterns from the area. Gorgeous bedouin work and beautiful one of a kind pair of silver earrings.
Gorgeous old bedouin necklace, handmade with coins belonging to an old Yemeni belt. Entirely made of old silver, usually obtained from melting Maria Theresia Thalers.
The Yemeni men, in their traditional costume on the north, they used a belt with an extense decoration, made of coin holders, coins, khol bottles, and the usual djambiya.
This piece has been made of old beads in the old center of Sana´a, Yemen. The beads are around 70 years old.
Measures: 36 grms, 39 cm length, and the biggest coins is 3 cm diameter.
Gorgeous necklace made of antique beads of silver and Mediterranean red coral. A total beauty! The silver beads are Antique Yemeni Bedihi beads. The Bedihi family was one of the most famous of Yemeni Jewish jewellers in the last two centuries. Their exquisite granulation work, the berry beads and the dugag cylinder beads show the expertise of these jewellers. The main dugag beads are all hallmarked by the artist. All Yemeni jewels hallmarked are from before 1940.
It´s a lovely design with a lot of historical information and great value, as antique red coral is always raising its price. This necklace can be worn by women or men also, it´s long enough!The beads of coral are originary from the marine fields around Sicily, Antique
Mediterranean Red Coral is untreated and undyed. In the times of the Levante trade, Yemen used to receive red coral as payment for the coffe beans, as well as Maria Theresia Thaler. The culture in Yemen gives a huge value to the Red Coral, it has been used on the traditional jewels for centuries, as part of the marriage necklaces also. It´s a symbol of protection, fertility and against the evil eye. The coral beads on this necklace are around 150- 200 years.
Measures are: length 107 cm, weight 102 grms, beads are 3,4 cm height.
Traditional lazem necklace from Yemen, beautiful old bedouin metal piece from North Yemen. This style of jewel was part of the dowry given to the bride before her marriage. In this case is made of mixed metals. As they are heavy pieces, not all the families afforded to buy it in silver, so there are examples of traditonal pieces in metal.
Excellent quality of workmanship.
Weight 240 grm, height 13 cm, total length without the chain 23 cm.
Antique Bedouin Hadramout ( East Yemen) Silver alloy belt. This piece is from the early XX century. It shows a beautiful engraved deco with wire work, a stunning ethnic piece. Spectacular buckle with a flower applied on the surface. It has a little repair, pic available. Sourced from Seyoun, now closed area because of political inestability in Yemen.
Beautiful engraved deco with flower patterns and small red coral beads on the coins. The black coral beads are antique and original from the Red Sea. They are very rare and appreciated in Yemeni Traditional Jewels as they protect the wearer from the evil eye. The pendant shows three small dangling pendants with the hilal moon and a star on it.
Unique ethnic piece from Yemen. Weight 70 grms. Lenght 43 cm with chain.
Bawsani Red coral and Silver filigree necklace. Antique unique piece from the earlies 1900´. Hallmarked. This is an example of the most delicate workmanship from Yemen, always related to jewish jewellers.
Stunning filigree (shabk) detailing and antique red coral from the marine fields around Sicily, in the Mediterranean sea. Weight 70gs. Height of the pendant with dangling beads 7cm.
Beautiful Bawsani array of hollow dangles, created by stamping silver sheet into molds, and then soldering together. The Bawsanis´ were one of the most famous and appreciated jewellers from Yemen in past centuries.
This piece is decorated with genuine antique Mediterranean Coral.
Excellent quality of Jewish silversmithing. Weight 50 grsm, Height 6cm.
Collecting Middle Eastern jewelery has become an act of cultural preservation. There´s some urgency in acquiring, collecting and recording the uses and history of Middle Eastern silver jewellery.
One of the pleasures of Middle East living used to be shopping for old jewelry—especially old Bedouin jewelry, rich in intricate silverwork, coral, carnelian and pretty stones picked up from the hills and sands during the Bedouin’s movements.
Nowadays, the handmade jewellery that once graced the persons of desert nomads is disappearing. The Bedouins themselves are exchanging it for modern pieces jewellery. The jewellers in the cities are breaking the jewels and remodeling it for modern pieces. Artisans who once made the jewelry are retiring or changing the way they work. And most of what remains is already in private collections and museums. (more…)
Elaborated shumaylat bracelet made in Yemen.
They were part of the outfit of the Jewish bride and new mother, given to the bride by her father as dowry or by her betrothed as a wedding gift.
Fashioned in Sana´a foremost Jewish silversmiths, they were among the finest example of Yemenite filigree work (shabk).
This bracelet is made of pure silver and shows some coral detailing. It´s decorated with a dense filigree net over a smooth base. Finest webs of filigree combine into rossette motifs, with clusters of granulation.
Antique traditional Mashtata Silver Necklace from Yemen.
Beautiful central pendant with natural Yemeni agate, and two talismanic kutub with dangling hamzas. Excellent quality of workmanship for this early XX century piece.
The use of Jewellery has always been very extended in the yemeni society, and it´s an interesting fact, that jews and muslims wore different pieces of jewellery.
There was a big difference in the use of traditional jewels, from one area of the country to other areas, what was worn and when was clearly defined in each place.
The ambar beads were mostly used by Sanaani muslim women, but in rural areas was also worn by jewish girls.
Rural areas presented less differences than big cities like Sana´a. The city life for jews was more interior and had less contact with the muslim population.
Most of the jewelers were jewish themselves and they used to work lots of hours in minimum details to generate that beauties made of fine filigree.
I´m pleased to offer this antique Labbeh Arabic Bedouin metal necklace from Sana ´a, Yemen. This beautiful necklace is worn around the neck and it´s formed by many parts chained up with each other.
The result is a glittering surface, that moves permanently with the head movements, and aims to chase bad spirits. This necklace was part of the dowry that the woman receives in the ocassion of marriage. Unique traditional jewel from the beginning of XX century.
Originally in Yemen, amulets were used because of their power to protect the wearer from evil and adversity. The use of amulets comes from remote times and it has been developed over the years.The talismans and the amulets are very present in all yemeni jewellery.
The use of talismans is associated to different symbols and magical forces. They help to hunt the bad spirits and give force to the person who wears it. The use has been transmitted generation after generation, by oral tradition. There was one talisman and a specific occasion for its use, as for example the use for babies, children, women or eldery people in different moments of life.
Jewish babies and small children used to wear hoods, full of amuletic pieces such as mother pearl, bells, chains and also coral beads.
When girls were going to get married, they used to wear the hoodie (gargush) with an amulet of triangle shape and showing red decoration, meant to protect her fertility. (more…)
I´m pleased to offer this pair of antique Jewish silver earrings from Yemen. Finely decorated using the chasing technique. The design remembers the classic Sanaani windows. Some little pieces of red coral are added to this special and rare design.
There is a long and interesting history behind the Yemeni Silver Jewellry and its origins. As in Yemen there were only a few mines of silver, the question is: From where comes the silver of the Yemeni Silver Jewelry? The majority of the silver in the jewelry in the Middle East comes from the coins of silver.
The most important one: The Maria Theresia Thaler or Levante Thaler. Its name has its origin in Maria Theresia, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, Arch-duchess of Austria, that governed from the 1740 to the 1780.
The first coin was minted in 1741 and there were many versions of it. But it was not until, at the insistence of Maria Theresia, this coin was minted with the highest standard of design, and with a strict regulation of the amount of silver that should contain.
In 1753, the empress and the Dutch of Bavaria sign a coinage convention, defining the weight and the content of silver for all the Maria Theresia coins struck in Austria and Bavaria. That was 28 grams, with a 85% of silver purity and measuring 42 mm of diameter. After the death of the Empress in 1780, his son Joseph II allowed the Austrian mint to continue striking the currency with the frozen date of 1780. (more…)
napper. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
