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This find (the chain) is certainly not an old piece. Its previous owner brought it from Tunisia. It was a gift from an elderly Tunisian lady who wore it with a simple Khamsa pendant (see pic below). I bought it for a very low price not expecting much, but in real it actually looks much nicer than in the photo. Love wearing it with my Libyan salhat pendant...
I just wondered if this chain is handmade and if these pieces are still made nowadays?
Hi Betty, I do not know about the Rihanna, but I love the Khamsa! It is really beautiful and Special with all the decorations! I can see two fish, the others I do not know what they are, but it is Special!
Thank you, Eva. The Khamsa is quite lovely, you are right! But I do not think it is very old or valuable. It's actually made of thin (silver) metal sheet that is stamped or embossed and punched out. Quite possibly a piece made for the tourist market. Maybe our Tunisia-experts can help?
These chains are still made. Chains with smaller rings like yours are more common. New chains with larger rings are not that common anymore since they are now being die-stamped from sheets of silver. In the old days, the larger ones were also made by hand. You can find a good description (in French) and diagrams of the process in Paul Eudels treatise on North African jewelry.
Thank you very much, Edith.That's very interesting, I know next to nothing about Tunisian jewellery (apart from what I have learned thanks to you and the other experts on Tunisian and Northern African adornment). Does that mean that this small type of chain is actually still handmade?
I just had a quick look for the publication you refer to. Is it "Dictionnaire Des Bijoux de L'Afrique Du Nord"?
Yes, on both questions...these are still handmade, and that is the publication to which I was referring. You can purchase a facsimile from Amazon, or view it free on-line through the French national library at this URL:
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5738601g
Almost forgot...the diagram for the rihanna manufacture may be in Eudel's other volume also available on-line from the French national library. It is called "L'Orfevrerie Algerienne et Tunisienne."
Merci beaucoup, Edith. What a great book. I just looked at the online edition. Looks like a very thorough classic. (I wish something similar were available for Ethiopian jewellery)
I also found the diagram...how very clever!
Betty, if you haven't already look at Alaa's blogpost of Nov. 8 called wonderful online book of East African jewels -- it is free and downloadable and very informative.
Thanks a lot for the hint, Patricia. Yes, I know this publication and consult it quite often. It's about the only book/catalogue I know that is devoted to East African jewellery exclusively.