Photos

Comments

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  SARAH CORBETT May 16, 2011 at 8:20am

  Hi Hillary,

  Thank you for the reference to the maker. I have seen and admired his work, but never had a name for the artisan.

  Indeed a mastercraftsman and a beautiful, unusual style to a classic piece ... no wonder you love it!

  S x
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  Alaa eddine SAGID May 16, 2011 at 8:27pm

  traditionally no khamsa is to be found south of Tiznit area where the usage of wearing it occured only some decades ago (with the 5 khamsas enameled pendants necklace) or west of Marrakech where it lately replaced the big foulets tradition.

   

  The berber countryside (mountains and desert) heavily retained pre-islamiic symbols to ward of evil eye such as the "dove's foot" and the "foulet" (maybe reminecent of the christian cross)

   

  This pendant is quite startling of the niello technique and the silversmith from TATA may have crafted sublime traditionnal nielloed pieces in his early crafting years, but unofrtunately this pendant was made following a special order from a Marrakech dealer to serve the tourist market and he has done quite a many pieces since we can still see many of them in auction sales in paris as well as Casablanca.

   
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  Ethnic Embellishments May 16, 2011 at 8:51pm

  Thank you for the further information!  Do you know who ordered them in Marrakech?  I got it from a dealer there who said he used to have a lot of them, long ago.  The design actually reminds me more of the small amulets from the Souss ("fly" amulets?, not sure what they are called).  The workmanship is really quite stunning and extremely high quality.  Every time I go to Morocco I see new innovations and adaptations of other styles of ethnic jewelry from Native American to Chinese.  I'll just look at this piece as a precursor to all of the current innovations!  To be honest, based on the size of the other piece (which was on a necklace), I never could envision anyone wearing it in any traditional form. Choukran bzaf!
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  Alaa eddine SAGID May 16, 2011 at 8:58pm

  collecting methods are as diverse as collectors!

  I am quite a conservative collector but i do respect other collectors visions and found them to be quite full of vision regarding the late pieces especially those using high quality techniques even if it seems odd to me (such as using niello on khamsas wich is traditionally unheard of or the "taoukka / worm technique on bracelets)

   

  these collectors are of a big help for the future study of ethnic jewellery

   

  warmest greetings
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  SARAH CORBETT May 16, 2011 at 10:28pm

  Hi Ayis,

  I am really interested in your comment regarding the Taoukka technique used in bracelets.

  I have seen just 4 in my lifetime of this style, the patina, workmanship and materials all seemed to my eye of the same age and style / quality and the fabulous worm hole fibulae I have handles on many occasions.

  Can you tell me more of your thoughts regarding this.

  Warm wishes

  Sarah
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  Alaa eddine SAGID May 16, 2011 at 11:15pm

  Hi sarah,

  the taoukka technique was to my knowledge only used on fibulas of the areas located between the central anti_atlas, the siroua mountains and the ait ouaouzguit tribal area (around Tazenakht west of ouarzazate), it was also employed for the very beautiful non enameled fibulas coming from south west algeria ( around the city of tindouf and the saoura valley) wich means that the area where this technique was used stretched to the presahara region of the bani mountains but eventually faded away mainly because of the unavailability of skilled silversmiths and the hefty price it was sold for at that time wich was certainly too much for simple oasis dwellers!

  One thing to take in consideration is that this technique was lost so long ago that even early french researchers dind't witness any silversmith making one!!

   

  I must tell you that during a 2006 trip to morocco i was amazed to notice the presence of a pair of bracelets using this technique on sale in essaouira and at the same time a same similar twin other pair on sale in Marrakech wich is a startling coincidence for a supposedely old antique very rare pieces. Both pairs were perfect and showed no wears wich is also a startling condition for a very fragile pieces!!

  Enamel was fine but recalled me of the enamel technique used to forge "antiquated" headresses and earrings during the 70's

  Secondly both pairs were on sale in shops who were not specialised in antiques (wich should have been the case for such wonderful bracelets) but rather mixing old jewellery with new one, with the latter being the dominant merchandise on offer!

  All this detered me to purchase a pair, it was too much coincidence for me!

   

  my thoughts is that nobody now is able to make good reproduction of the taoukka technique ( and i saw a newly made one wich is obviously a try from a local silversmith but it was so boldly made that it could onlyfool  the very very unexperienced collector) as for the bracelet i think that they are fake from early independant morocco maybe the 60's or the 70's done by the same silversmith (an old one?) who eventually died taking with him the secret of the technique.

  They might have been purchased by a local moroccan collector who eventually resold them after researching and finding out they were not genuine

   

  There is an abundance of the taoukka fibulas and they all show some wear and fragile condition as well as old fixing bar some very beautifully conserved one wich sell for large amounts of money because they are very heavy (usually starting at 20 dh per grams).

  Maybe if you tell me at how much you were asked to buy these bracelet i can tell you more

   

   
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  SARAH CORBETT May 16, 2011 at 11:26pm

  The set I first saw may have been the same ones you saw, in a book store in Essaouria.......

  I think that they were asking 26000dh for them...it was a while ago.

  Thanks for the info

  S x
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  Alaa eddine SAGID May 16, 2011 at 11:41pm

  Again, this is my personal explanation for these bracelets after witnessing so much coincidence and heavily researching the reference books.

   

  If these bracelets happen to be genuine they should be selling for that price quite easily
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  Toya May 17, 2011 at 12:56am

  http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://...

  Here is a link to a translation explaining the lost worm hole technique. It includes a close up photo of the old fibula holes. This is very interesting. My bracelets are not antique but vintage, and the holes look different.
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  Patricia Deany May 17, 2011 at 2:07am

  Great translating tool and fascinating information. The holes in my bracelet are not actually holes but tubes all fastened together. Have no idea whether this is a true worm hole or not, maybe a related technique. I do not see the rationale for producing reproductions of this kind of bracelet -- they are so heavy , the technique is very labor intensive and the result would be a pair of bracelets that nobody buys -- because they are too expensive or unwearable or not considered antique enough for a sophisticated collector. They are probably just a different technique, much less old than that which is used on the fibula. These bracelets are thick, not think like the fibulas which appear to have a grid-like appearance, and the holes are tubes of silver. Interesting, probably something written about them somewhere.