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This is a necklace made of an old telsum box and fertilty beads (the latter usually worn as anklets as far as I know). Gilded silver (alloy). The telsum box seems quite old to me, whereas the beads show only little wear.
Nice perspective, love the Detail work! The fertility beads were worn as anklets? Something I did not know. Very interesting. Anyway, it is a great Piece!
Thanks, Eva! This necklace is not an authentic piece. It was created by a bead artist who lived in Ethiopia in the 1990s. This flat type of fertility bead is indeed commonly worn as an anklet (usually worn in pairs & often combined with another pair of simple nickel bead anklets). The more three-dimmensional fertility beads are used a lot in necklaces featuring engagement pendants. I have some pics somewhere and will try to scan and post them when I get the time ...
@Thank you Betty for all the Information! Will look Forward to your further pics! This anklet-thing interests me.
@ Eva. Just for the record: I have done a bit more research and it seems that these fertility/penis beads were indeed also used in necklaces, usually chokers. Personally I only ever saw them being worn as anklets though.
@Betty: thanks. Good to know. I have not known before that they were worn as anklets, I like that (the anklets )!
These shapes were indeed worn as anklets by the women of Eritrea. It was the fashion to wear them with a string of silver bead anklet and a string of glass bead anklet. so three together.They are fertility anklets. In Ethiopia a similar shape (not flat but tubelar) they are and were worn as a necklace.
Welcome to Ethnic Jewels, Ingrid!
You are right about the anklets. But the flat shapes shown in the picture, too, can be found in Ethiopia (after all there is no sharp cultural divide between northern Ethiopia/Tigray region and the Tigrinya in Eritrea :-)), sometimes even worn as necklaces. BTW I have seen Oromo women wearing exactly the combination of anklets you describe. But I would really love to see the Eritrean variety if you happen to have a photo or a reference. Unfortunately one finds very little information about jewellery in Eritrea...
Betty, I have no picture, but this info was given to me by an Eritrean lady of 90(my mother -in law) who used to wear it in her youth when this was a fashion. the silver string were the small rings beads (heisha beads) not the large cone formed ones. and the glass beads were the small Tjechoslavian beads. (still being sold on large scale. After a couple of days I can place some pictures of the pieces I have, the Eritrean pieces and the Ethiopian pieces. By the way Tigrinya is the language which is spoken in Eritrea and Tigray.