Arabian Bedouin Bracelets
The continent of Asia extends from the Mediterranean in the West to the Pacific in the West: think Hong Kong. I include in my own delineation of Asian borders as being from Siberia in the North to the tip of Saudi Arabia in the South, but some might include a greater part of Russia.
Perhaps the most intriguing jewelry being worn in Asia are the very eclectic 'jangling' jewelry of the various nomadic peoples of the deserts of Asia, in the Karakum and Kizilkum of Turkmenistan, the Gobi and Taklamakan in China, the Sindh in Pakistan and the Sahara in Arabia. I call it jangly or jangling jewelry because it is usually put together in a way that makes a musical sound as the wearer moves. Hollow bracelets may be filled with tiny pellets or stone chips so that they whisper with the wearer's movement. For example this pair of Bedouin bracelets from the Arabian desert of Yemen was created with such an enhancement.
The continent of Asia extends from the Mediterranean in the West to the Pacific in the West: think Hong Kong. I include in my own delineation of Asian borders as being from Siberia in the North to the tip of Saudi Arabia in the South, but some might include a greater part of Russia.
Perhaps the most intriguing jewelry being worn in Asia are the very eclectic 'jangling' jewelry of the various nomadic peoples of the deserts of Asia, in the Karakum and Kizilkum of Turkmenistan, the Gobi and Taklamakan in China, the Sindh in Pakistan and the Sahara in Arabia. I call it jangly or jangling jewelry because it is usually put together in a way that makes a musical sound as the wearer moves. Hollow bracelets may be filled with tiny pellets or stone chips so that they whisper with the wearer's movement. For example this pair of Bedouin bracelets from the Arabian desert of Yemen was created with such an enhancement.
Antique Pair Yemen Silver Bracelets Bedouin Style over Hollow Form
These bracelets are fabricated as hollow circles, having the jangly material added before soldering the two halves together. The bracelet in the top position in this photo has been emptied of its contents by boring a tiny hole through it, so that act suggests that the jangly material is very small, such as large crystals of sand or the tiniest pebbles from the shores of the Arabian Sea perhaps. The bracelet made in the same techniques as the one above still has its jangly contents and makes a pleasant sound as it moves around the wrist.
There will be more in this series on Ethnic Jewelry from Desert and City, including jewelry from some of the various regions of Asia. See much more on Yemen jewelry at my website Crafts of the Past.
I love the history, tradition and process of craft that you offer in this post (and others!). That these bracelets are hollow and sometimes filled music-n-rhythm makers really appeals to me. Plus … how beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rose. So many of the pieces in my collection are really shrouded in mystery. I can answer the question about new pieces. If they are being made, they are not of the same quality as the old ones. Yemen culture has deteriorated a great deal in the last several decades. Life is rather tenuous in those regions even in the cities, I suspect.
DeleteThanks again for reading and commenting.
Anna
Beautiful bracelets Anna. I would love to hear how they sound, maybe a YouTube vid would be good for that!
ReplyDeleteIf I could show the bracelets without showing myself, YouTube would be more appealing to me ;)
DeleteAnna
How cool it is to read all about your travels not to mention the history of your remarkable pieces that you've collected over the years. I bet the sound that that bracelet makes is very soothing, at least that's how I'm imagining it. I so love to read your blogs Anna!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and fun facts.
ReplyDeleteKathy :)
Hello there, Lady of the Green Eyes ;) Thank you for stopping by and reading the blog. When shaken, the bracelet sounds something like salt in a metal shaker. I remember the tin salt shaker on my family's table so many years ago.
DeleteAnna
I, too, wonder what the jangling sounds like. The region where this type of jewelry can be found is certainly quite large and filled with many different people groups. The antique bracelets are exquisite. I wonder if similar pieces are still being made today? And I wonder why the one bracelet has been emptied of it's jangles?
ReplyDeleteDebbie,
DeleteThe sound of the bracelet when I shake it is something like coarse salt in a tin salt shaker such as I remember on my family's table as I grew up. If such bracelets are still being made, they are not of the same quality as the old ones.
Thanks for your comment.
Oh, so that's the way they get those amazing sounds! Had no idea about the hollow bracelets being filled with the tinkly bits. Makes me see them in a whole new light. Thank you, Anna, as always, for your very informative post!
ReplyDeleteI will also show the Koochi jewelry with actual small bells strung with their beads. That is an upcoming blog ;)
DeleteLook forward to the post, Anna.
DeleteI find it amazing how older pieces of jewelry were made. The detail and the quality are far better than can be imagined.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Vikki. No one would take the time to do such laborious work by hand with such primitive hand made tools and a little charcoal furnace dug out in the dirt floor of a shelter, not really a house or factory.
DeleteInteresting background on such beautiful pieces.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteGreat post on a different type of jewelry. I love that jangling noise that bangles and ankle bracelets can make when worn together. I think this would be just as musical, if a different type of sound. Such pieces sound like a wonderful show of craftsmanship.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Ema. The crafters of the past had a great deal of skill and such primitive implements.
ReplyDeleteAnna
I love looking at all your exotic antique jewelry. This article makes me want to make some that jingles!
ReplyDeleteHi Roxanne,
DeleteYou must be busy with some intricate projects. Have you tried embedding silver filigree into your fine silver castings? Might be a niche for that…. Been missing you and your interesting blogs. Nice to hear from you! Thanks for the very kind comment.
I had no idea that filling hollow bracelets with material to create a sound was an ancient technique, but I can appreciate the concept. I like when jewelry creates a Jangly sound as you move...I always learn something I didn't know when I read your posts.
ReplyDeleteNice to have you visit this blog, Bridget. Thank you for your very kind comment.
Delete