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https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/ethiopian-copper-spiral-pendant?...
Once again, I had mine bought some years ago. It was quite expensive compared to other Ethiopian amulettes, and it is made of very good copper. Someone said, it is Sidamo, but I found the same amulettes in a catalogue described as Oromo Pendants. So it remains a certain confusion. Possible is, that more than one Ethnie uses them or overlapping Oromo - Sidamo...........
Eva, what is also confusing for me, having never been to Africa, is that I see that Oromia is a state or province and that Sidamo used to be one, at least according to Wikipedia. And I assume that the people are Oromo (as that is the name of the language). I don't know what the people of Sidamo are called. But yes, I'm realizing more and more how styles overlap as borders change, people move, people adopt designs and so on from one another. All these boundaries that we want to put around things for clarification don't always hold true in the real world so as you say, there's overlap. :>
Eva, here's something else I wanted to mention. I found the first of these amulets on Etsy from an Ethiopian dealer The same seller later had one on ebay so I got in touch w/ him and bought that one, too. I think they were around $33 USD with the shipping a couple of years ago. I don't know how this compares to what one would have to pay if one were in Ethiopia at the source. At one point, the seller had a store about an hour from me, but then moved all his business to online. Last year there was a big gem/mineral show also about an hour from me and I found him there. He was selling new copper beads as well as old copper and coin silver beads but what struck me most was that he had a BIG bowl full of copper items, beads, and some old amulets including a few that were versions of the one that looks like a scarf that I posted a while ago. Now I learn from the comments that red copper is scarce and not commonly used for these things so I don't know what to think. I do recall, a year or so ago I saw a couple of these amulets- like the coil ones we have- online in a gallery in London (I don't know if it was just an online gallery or if there was also an actual physical "brick and mortar" store, but they were mounted and selling for about $1200 each!! I try to find out what I can about the pieces I have for my own knowledge and so that I have the correct information and history to tell my customers. This is all part of the story and I feel that this is important for so many reasons.
Very nice pendants, the two you have shown us, Anjali, as well as Eva's.
As for the identification and pricing I see three points to consider: What is Oromo/Sidamo //The value of copper//prices on the ethnic jewellery market.
As for the origin: As Ingrid mentions, Oromo is a language and a diverse ethnic group that can be found almost all over Ethiopia, not only in Oromia which is a very new administrative unit that only came about in the late 1990s and comprises some regions which a high percentage of Oromo inhabitants. The Oromo ethnic/national group itself (with a distinct Oromo identity) is the product of a rather recent nation-building project. Accordingly you can find Oromo jewellery in all parts of the country, certainly in Addis (Ingrid explained why).And of course, Eva is right when she pints out that jewellery travels and that certain styles may be worn by more than one ethnic group.
It is correct that copper is highly valued in Ethiopia, and perhaps in some regions more than in other. It is certainly more valued than mixed metals, and the current price for copper on the international markets is quite high, if I am correctly informed. I assume that it was in certain periods more or less available locally. As for crosses, copper crosses are often early pieces, often earlier than silver (Ingrid somewhere explained about that too).
That brings us to the next topic: the ethnic jewellery market in the West. Here copper items are generally less valued than silver. (BTW I think I know the dealer you are talking about Anjali :)). But it all depends on where you buy. Just today, I saw a nice old vintage silver (alloy) cross offered for more than US$ 300. A standard market price would perhaps be 80 -110 for such a piece, and if you are lucky and have a bit of background knowledge you will even chance upon a cross of the same quality for less than $30. In other words, it's a non-regulated market, people ask very different prices depending on their own knowledge, the "reputation" of their business, their own costs and also their fairness. $30 for such a pendant is good price, but as you saw they are also sold for way more (Again I know the piece you are talking about. 1200 is outrageous and the pieces have been for sale for years now. Maybe one day a naive and wealthy enough customer will come along, but anyone knowing a bit about this market will merely have a good laugh....
Sorry for this long ramble.
Dear Betty,
You're point by point "long ramble" is truly much appreciated as is the time you took to elucidate it. If I haven't said it already, I'll say again that I am getting an education here and I really value it. I sent one of the comments to a fellow jewelry artist friend who commented on the scholarship. I agree. That is what I find here in a supportive community of people with a genuine interest, a combined wealth of knowledge accrued from first hand experience, individual research, and shared input. I sometimes have to drag myself away just to get to bed the pieces are so compelling and the information so fascinating. So thank you, and Eva, and Ingrid for all your comments on these pendants.
It is late already, but I found the two comments below by Betty and Anjali nice and interesting. I can confirm that my copper pendant was quite expensive, when I aske the seller why, as it was only copper, he said that the People who sold it believed that copper was very valuable. I cannot say finally which ethnical Group this pendant is originating from, but I can confirm that I paid a lot for it.If I had not liked it so much (because of the form and the beautiful reddish shine), I would not have bought it, because here copper is not considered an expensive valuable material............
Might be of interest, a few online references (including price indications); one, two, three
@Eva and ZambeziCocktail - thank you for these insights and good to know another interesting gallery!