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Comments
congratulations Betty. this is splendid and rare. almost not to find now
Thank you, Ait! As I've said earlier, I would certainly have missed it, if I had not read the discussions here.
Beautiful! I love all the scented jewellery! A great find!
Betty Absolute a lovely piece. What are scented beads? Is it some kind of seed? The oval beads they look to me as boiled in oil resin beads, is that what they are? They way they have been connected is very decorative and solid.The pendant looks also lovely, is that the hand of Fatima? (I forgot the proper name). gr. Ingrid
Thank you, Ingrid. I am myself not an expert when it comes to scented beads, but there are a lot of discussions, when you search the forum for "shkab" or "tunisian scented beads" you will find a lot of interesting information.
To my knowledge these beads are made mainly in Tunisia, Algeria using pounded wood and rose scent to create a paste that is then pressed into shaped. Edith, Ait, Aala Eddine and others are the experts who can tell you more.
Interestingly, the oval beads are actually made of glass (most probably made to resemble resin/amber beads). And yes, the pendant is a khamsa (Arabic for for 5) or hand of Fatima.
Sorry, Ingrid. I misspelled "skhab". This is the correct spelling.
I didn.t notice ,but good to see the correct spelling. Thank you for the advice and will try to find the way to the scented beads forum.
@ Ingrid: please try this link for more info on the scented paste beads:
https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/scented-paste-beads?commentId=54...
Got it Betty, thank you. Does your bracelet still smell? After all those years.
It is a nice piece. You can still buy these beads, but usually the old ones are of higher quality. Good quality antique skhab command high prices. The best quality are still made by village women, and often they do not sell outside their private circle of friends and family members. Many times the ones sold in the markets are also made by women as a kind of cottage industry, and supplied by private arrangement to jewelry designers and bead shops. Traditionally the shapes are made by hand, but ones like yours made in wood molds are very typical. Here is a tip for taking care of them. Avoid storing in high heat. They like cool temperatures with a very slight humidity, but do not let them get too humid or wet. Store them in a manner which avoids crushing or friction since they are very friable.
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