A brief history of the legendary and lustrous Arab Jewelry

A brief history of the legendary and lustrous Arab Jewelry

Ancient Arabia was flourishing with business as it prospered as the crossroads and intersection of the world for many merchants and both as a merchant of its own prized natural resources - primarily frankincense and myrrh - and as the buyer of goods from distant kingdoms and countries. Arabia was the central hub for everything in the world as merchants and explorers all over the world came here and they would sell or exchange what they had. The most prominent and profound product that the Arabs found and fantasized was Jewelry.

There was ancient myth in Arabian culture that Jewelry was said to have magical powers. Turquoise in particular is believed to ward off the "evil eye." At one time, popular legend had it that a turquoise stone would glow when its wearer was happy, but when the wearer was sad, the stone would become dull. Another popular myth was that the tiny tinkling bells prominent on so many pieces of Arabian jewelry would protect the wearer by frightening off malevolent spirits with their noise.

Arabian tradition depicts that jewelry represents much more than personal decoration. For Bedouin women, their jewelry symbolizes social and economic status - when a woman marries, her dowry is partially paid in jewelry which is hers to keep or dispose of at her own discretion. A woman's jewelry symbolizes her status as a married women and later as a mother, as it is customary to gift one's wife with jewelry for the birth of each child. Due to the inherently migrant lifestyle of the Bedouin, jewelry also becomes an easily transportable form of wealth and security for its owner.

With the region's prosperity came an era of indulgence in the precious materials of ancient jewelry. Not only the affluent merchant class that inhabited cities but also Arabian Bedouin women were major consumers of ornate jewelry.

While jewelry has traditionally been the domain of women, Arabian men, in contrast, gave more priority to decorate their assets such as weapons and camels rather than themselves. Such embellishments were a visual indication of a man's wealth, power and status. In Islamic tradition, the Holy Qur'an discourages men from adorning themselves with gold. Modern Saudi men have wedding rings made from silver in accordance with this custom.

In Arabian customs, the color of certain stones is also adjudged to affect their powers. Green, blue and red are regarded as possessing protective abilities. Hence for that reason turquoise, agate, coral and colored glass are among the most popular materials used in antique jewelry.

Islamic motifs influence and imbue jewelry design. The sign of the hand on Saudi necklaces has been a talisman for hundreds of years. The number five is the mathematical equivalent of the hand, as well as representing the five tenets of Islam. Thus, bracelets or rings may be worn in multiples of five, and the preferred number of beads on an ornament or chains hanging from a pendant would also be five.

Children have also customarily worn jewelry in Arabia. Silver bracelets or anklets, most often trimmed with tiny bells, are the most popular choice for children. The sound of the bells would protect the young wearer from evil spirits, while also providing a source of amusement for a restless child. 

 Arabian artisans were extremely privileged as they faced no shortage of opulent material to work with. The Red Sea, which borders Saudi Arabia's western coastline, is an endless source of coral and, in fact, provided an early industry to that region. Dark pink to red, as well as white and black, coral has been used for centuries for amulets and talismans as well as decoration. On the other coast, the Arabian Gulf was abundant with magnificent pearls. These iridescent treasures were most frequently set in the finest pieces of gold jewelry. Gem fields in the southwest of the peninsula also offered copious amounts of stones, particularly well regarded being the turquoise from Makkah.

Silver and silver alloys have traditionally been the primary medium and material of the Bedouin jeweler. Mines situated toward the interior of the peninsula provided a steady supply of silver, although some was also imported. The fragile makeup of silver, which easily corrodes when exposed to air and harsh temperatures, has led to the disappearance of a large portion of antique silver jewelry. Some historians believe that when a Bedouin woman died, her marital jewelry was melted down - part of the tradition of it being her personal property - and attribute the scarcity of old silver jewelry to this custom. For these reasons, examples of Bedouin craftsmanship more than 80 years old executed in silver are rare.

                                                                      

  

 Gold, on the other hand, is much more resistant towards corrosion as it is a more unreactive compared to silver. Although gold was not the most frequently used metal among the Bedouins, many more pieces of ancient jewelry made from gold have survived. Brass and copper were also common, either alone or in combination with silver. When added to silver, copper adds a lustrous sheen.

Several techniques and processes are involved in the manufacture of Arabian jewelry. The first step in fashioning metal into jewelry is called annealing. During this process, the metal is heated and gradually cooled, making it softer and more malleable for working into shapes or hammering flat into sheets.

Embossing and repoussé work are then employed to provide the decoration on the metal. During this phase, the artisan hammers out a design or domed pattern from behind a thin piece of metal, much like a blacksmith achieving a relief decoration on the front. Granulation is another technique for the application of patterns to metal. It is one of the most challenging and onerous ornamental methods. Granulation involves applying tiny metal balls in patterns to a metal surface to produce a raised, three-dimensional decorative effect. This style was popular in ancient Greek jewelry and was perfected by the Etruscans. Filigree is another way to achieve ornamental and delicate designs by twisting and forming wire into intricate lace-like patterns that are then soldered for endurance. This is possible due to the ductile property of the material.

In order to join two pieces of metal into one, the technique of fusing is applied. Using intense heat and copper carbonate, the craftsman can make filigreed wire and tiny metal granules. When he is ready to assemble a whole piece of jewelry, the artisan will then solder the various pieces together.

Traditional Bedouin jewelers did not "cut" stones the way modern jewelers do, but rather, they "shaped" them. Cabochon gemstones - polished stones with a domed appearance - are the most prevalent in Bedouin jewelry.

 Chain-making is another method for working silver. Bedouin chain jewelry differs and varies in design and ornamentation. Some chains are crude wire links, others are elaborate combinations of links, stones and often include filigree and granulation..

Arabian Bedouin jewelry is unique not only for its aesthetic qualities, but also because of the rich history that is manifests in its majestic designs. During the course of its own evolution over many centuries, the jewelry of the Bedouin has incorporated techniques and styles of the jewelry of other long-dead civilizations. This has excited archaeologists, as these very personal objects provide a window to the past and the people who owned them. Observers have noted that similarities in the design and craftsmanship of Bedouin jewelry can be attributed to the cross-influence that migration and trade had on the region.

                                                                  

     

 Caravans not only introduced new materials to the craftsmen of the Bedouin tribes, but also contributed elements of the design of other civilizations' artistry. Bedouin jewelry borrows heavily from the Phoenicians' use of colorful glass beads and gold. Early Egyptian culture used the techniques of filigree and granulation - both prevalent in Bedouin jewelry. The early Egyptians also believed in the mystical powers of certain stones and pendants.

As the ancient trade routes expanded, many new materials began to pass through the Arabian peninsula. Traders from the Far East introduced new materials such as amber, a mineral organic compound formed from the hardened resin of pine trees. Amber is believed to have originally come to the Arabian peninsula through Afghanistan. It varies in shade from dark brown to a light golden color and is most commonly used for Bedouin beads. Another popular material is carnelian, a quartz. This reddish-brown stone is semi-transparent and most probably came from mines in the Sinai peninsula.

With the advent of Islam in 622 AD, pilgrims from Africa and Asia traveled to the holy cities in Arabia and often lived out the remainder of their lives there. Ankle bracelets popular with both Bedouin women and children are thought to have originated in Africa and found their way with pilgrims who came to perform hajj and who either remained in Arabia or sold their jewelry to finance their pilgrimage.

Designs which have come to be known as "arabesque" are evolved from Islamic calligraphy and design. Interlaced patterns of geometric shapes, leaves, crescents, flowers and animals, along with Qur'anic calligraphy, provide many of the beautiful embellishments on both antique and modern Arabian jewelry.

This combination of historical events brought new and significant influences to the evolving art of jewelry making on the peninsula.

 Today, Saudi women still receive gifts of jewelry from their husbands when they marry. While Bedouin women received rings as part of their wedding jewelry, they did not follow the tradition of a wedding band. Whereas their ancestors received copious amounts of bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces as part of their dowry, today's Saudi woman usually receives a more modest collection, which often includes a wedding band.

While traditional designs and motifs remain popular with modern Saudi women, most prefer gold over silver and lighter-weight pieces over the large and heavy ones of their grandmothers. Hanging in the gold souqs of Saudi Arabia, many pieces of jewelry reflect the rich heritage from which they came - gold coins suspended from long filigreed chains, turquoise stones embellishing rings and necklaces, and crescents and calligraphy adorning many ornaments. The merchandise of the gold souqs is popular not only with the indigenous population. On most days, one can find foreign businessmen visiting the shops for a souvenir sure to delight his wife, daughter or mother upon his return home.

The traditional art of Bedouin silversmiths is becoming more a part of Saudi Arabia's rich past than of its present. Few souqs in the Kingdom still do a large business in the silver jewelry of an earlier generation. Perhaps the best place to find these old treasures, or new ones made in their likeness, is in the Women's Souq in Riyadh. Here, among the stalls of colorful dresses, pungent spices and cooking utensils, female shoppers can bargain over the price of earrings, bracelets, rings and other trinkets with the Bedouin women who run the jewelry stalls. Surprisingly, the antique pieces of jewelry are often less expensive than the newer copies, primarily because of the high cost of the labor which is involved in the crafting of each piece today. However, whether one is fortunate enough to own either an antique piece of Arabian jewelry or a modern one from one of the many gold shops, it is certain to be a beautifully crafted and unique example of Arabian jewelry.