Woman from Taliwine
with her traditionnal jewels
Tradition of silver jewels
Most often, berber jewels mean silver. Of course tradition and Islam recommends that men wear no gold, but women are free to do as they wish. Nevertheless, usually, the families were not rich enough to buy gold jewels.
Also, the jewels were cast and melt several times, sold in hard times and bought back after. The Berber woman , adorned with heavy bracelets, necklaces that were heavy chains fastened with twi large fibula, was actually wearing the whole fortune of the family, and was a kind of walking bank.
These large bracelets and heavy chains were also defensive weapons, which explains the diamond forms. Assaulted, a woman could, with the momentum given to her arm, easily knowck-out (or even worse) her attacker.
Tiznit and the silversmiths.
Tiznit is the city in Morocco where you find most of the silversmiths. All creations are there, modern and traditionnal pieces, inspired from traditionnal deocorations and adapted to modern life. By Moroccan jewellers, many pieces have no hallmark, that does not always mean that the silver is of bad quality, sometimes just that the smith did not want to pay too much taxes.
It also happens that the metal is melt and used again several times, mixed with old coins, hence with nickel.
The hallmark is a guarantee, discussing with the craftman, who knos how he produced his jewels, is another one. Metal comes generally from the silver mines near Tinghir.
Traditionnal berber patterns
Like anywhere in Islam, most of the decorations are geometrical or abstrait. Many of the patterns are more squared and display more angles than in the traditionnal arabo-andalusian art, and remind corners, points and circles which can be found in tifinagh, the berber script. But here also you can find volutes and laces, which look alike some celtic designs.
The very berber symbol is the sign for A, showing a man with raised arms, which became also the symbol of the berber language and people, called Amazigh. Another very common pattern is the triangle, symbole of the tent and the family, which is often found on rugs and ceramics.
Most of the decorations are made with filigrees on a flat basis, with silver corns. Other lines, with small repeated "v", reminds wheat.
Ancient jewels, recent jewels, modern jewels
It is difficult to give a precise date to a traditionnal berber jewel, the models are quite stable through the centuries. Many pieces are cast in low-value alloys, with pewter or tin. The coins used as decorations don't give neither a sure hint, they can be more recent but replace lost old coins, or old, but having been taken on older pieces. To make it short, don't expect to make wonderful bargains, specially in the markets..
Though, in specialised shops , iit is still possible to find beautiful pieces.
We offer exclusive models , made by silversmith from Tiznit, adapted to modern life, with forms and patterns that will bring you a little bit of the heat of the desert...
