Necklace

This large and imposing necklace is a type worn by the Muslim Ida ou Semlal women from the western Anti-Atlas region of Morocco. Worn along with other types of necklaces, head ornaments and bracelets, it makes a convincing statement about a woman's accumulated wealth in portable, beautiful, well-crafted jewelry. An accumulation of wealth is demonstrated in the large amber beads and the thick tangled clusters of silver pendants, many embellished with glass stone centers. Precious amber, coral, glass beads and silver coins, arranged in order of decreasing size, complete the piece. Silver is a preferred material in much of Morocco where it symbolizes honesty and purity. In some regions, yellow amber is believed to attract sunlight and deflect darkness. Muslim populations in much of Morocco have long been called Berbers, but there is a recent and growing movement in the nation to use the term Imazighen, which means the free people.

Necklace composed of an arrangement of amber, silver and silver enamel pendants, white shell, coral, glass beads and strands of small predominately orange-red glass beads gathered into large clusters. The central part of the necklace is arranged with the two largest amber beads at the center, flanked by two large beaded clusters and bordered by a tangled collection of silver pendants, most with red or green glass stone centers, along with a few glass beads. Arrangements of smaller amber beads, glass bead clusters and silver pendants follow. The necklace is strung on twisted cotton fiber and knotted at each end.

Unknown jeweler, Souss-Massa region, Morocco. Acquired under unknown circumstances by Ivo Grammet, Essaouira, Morocco, 1995; sold to the National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., 2003.

Caravans of Gold Fragments in Time, Block Museum of Art, Evanston, IL, January 26, 2019–July 21, 2019; The Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada, September 21, 2019–February 23, 2020; Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2021 – February 27, 2022

Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2003. " A Tribute to Roy Sieber: Part 2." African Arts 36 (2), p. 29, no. 37.

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