We have a vast collection of images here which have been shared over the years ...
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Comments
Such a detail is very helpful to see the quality. Thanks.
Very nice to see coral (?) inlay in the silver parts!
I agree, Harald, with your observant comment! It is a bit hard to see on the photo what material is used for the inlay, but in any case it looks really nice: it's always pleasing to see more than one colour, and the colour of the beads is attractively picked up, this way, in the other parts. A very harmonious piece of jewellery. It is "warm" in tone, light and gracous, and just generally agreeable.
Yes, I was rather surprised to see that myself when I fished the piece out of the trunk where it had slept for years. ;) On most of those places where there is a natural spot for inlay, it is filled with a large silver granule or it is left empty. I have many of the silver plaques and decoration on bracelets where the walled circles are simply left empty. By the way when it was collected, it had aged quite drastically, and it gave me a shock when I gently rubbed it with the rouge cloth and all that warm glow was revealed. One half-string of coral had broken and those beads were missing. I confess I could not resist replacing the missing coral and salvaging the piece. Fortunately we had amassed sufficient extra Mediterranean coral beads to fill in the missing parts.
By the way, thank you for your very kind and observant comments. ;)
All that is great, Anna, and to me it sounds - and looks! - as though you did exactly the right things. I think that, interestingly, very often when you look at ethnic jewellery which you collected several years back, and if it was in principle a good piece you acquired, you now get a pleasant shock of surprise, the point being that, very rapidly, the supply of good quality - and essentially intact - pieces (as this one was) has diminished sharply, and thus both the age and the quality of the pieces, when we now re-discover them, look far better than one might have expected, as meanwhile we have seen so many new, or recent, or "mixed" pieces which are simply much less good. Old and good silver often rubs up remarkably well, with a huge soft gleam, when you polish it with a silver cloth, as the alloy was often good, and the patina helps to re-establish the glow you want. Very much worth doing, and essential for future preservation, as if neglected for too long the tarnish becomes much harder to remove safely and successfully. Great you had just the right material (lucky for you) to use for replacement! Sympathetic maintenance and replacement are, I feel, completely warranted in a case like this, and the result looks most appealing. The piece is in the right hands, with you. The composition is good, as is the workmanship, and the general mellowness of the gilding (well preserved) and the corals is just right. It is more attractive than the "average" Yemen necklace of this general type, as those often look too much like each other, whereas yours has a degree of individuality. Well done, both in the acquisition and in the subsequent looking-after.
The green background also helps to set this off - so important. Truus and I, in producing our book *Ethnic Jewellery and Adornment*, decided we were most definitely NOT going to have grey or black backgrounds (the standard ones used for most books, along with the occasional beige), or to have just ONE colour for all photos (dreadfully monotonous, and does not suit all items equally well, of course). So we chose colours which would look good for each object in every instance. This also meant, of course, that on a "spread" of two sheets the various colours would need to combine well, and that proved a devil of a job. We had complementary tasks: Truus researched and wrote the book (on objects we both had collected and chose for inclusion); I edited her work (English being my professional subject), and organised most of the matters I just mentioned, all of which had to do with presentation. My lack of experience was of course a great drawback, and I needed professional help for all the technicalities, but I had a very clear sense as to how to make the book look good. The happy result is that we get praised for the total package! Not that it is perfect ... but it IS, by common consent, good, and every time we use it (which is often) we are happy to see it. I found that an essential criterion, for you don't know how many books you will sell, and at the very least it should please YOU, as the producers of it!! A fascinating task - but most laborious (and expensive). It does mean that I immediately paid attention to your green as much as the piece ... But the piece is great, for sure, and would look on many backgrounds, of course.
Thank you and Harald for your close attention to this piece. I appreciate all the good advice regarding caring for and displaying the several good pieces in our collection.
This one may not remain in my collection, since I have a smaller plainer coral and silver necklace that I will keep for myself. This large gilded necklace is listed at http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/craftsofthepast/4315889/ if anyone is interested. I offer lay-away plans ;)