Featured Need help dating this Yemenite bracelet

Hello, everybody! - I'm new here : )

I picked up this bracelet and I was wondering if you guys can tell me a bit more about it. I found a similar one here

https://www.ethnicjewelsmagazine.co.uk/archive/bracelet-yemen/ They attributed it to the Baswani family but I could not find any information about these jewelers. It's a good thing mine's got the maker's marking, unfortunately I can't read Arabic. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to upload the pictures.

 

Hi Raluca!

Welcome to Antiquers...........

Unfortunately your photos are not showing.

I'll tag @Any Jewelry as someone who will be able to help you once your photos become posted.

 

Whoops!! I now see pictures!

 

Welcome Raluca. That is a stunning bangle, and certainly in the Bawsani style. And I think it is true Yemeni instead of Yemenite, so made in Yemen instead of Israel.

The Bawsani family were a famous family of Jewish silversmiths in Yemen, creating filigree jewellery for all Yemeni communities, whatever their faith.
Most Bawsani family members left Yemen for Israel during 'operation magic carpet' in 1949-50. Their style still lives on in both Yemen and Israel.
They employed and trained other silversmiths, so the mark will have to be the definitive ID for a Bawsani family piece, or other maker.

Unfortunately I don't have examples of any of their marks, but you could ask Joost or Truus Daalder for a photo of their Bawsani mark. I don't have their contact info, but in this link is a form to contact Truus:
http://www.ethnicartpress.com.au/meet-the-author.html

Will you let us know what they say?

There is an excellent book on Yemeny jewellery if you are interested:
"Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba" by Marjorie Ransom.
I can recommend it.

 

Thank you so much, Any Jewelry. That was really informative. Will definitely keep you posted.

 

I forgot to say anything about the age, my guess is the early years of the 20th century. In 1920 the religious authorities of Yemen prohibited signatures on silver.

 

Hi Raluca and WELCOME to the site!!! LOVELY Piece you have!!!!!

 

Oops, should have said the 1920s. I don't know which year exactly, but if I remember correctly sometime in the early 20s.

 

Hello, I tried getting in touch with both Truus Daalder and Marjorie Ransom, unfortunately I didn't get any answers. Today I got a Hirz with the same silversmith's hallmark. Most of the hirzes I've seen online have rather barely visible hallmarks but this one reads very clearly. After I did some googling on hirzes and maker's mark I came across this blog
http://antiquesilverjewelry.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-makers-mark-is-historical.html
The pictures are no longer there, but I managed to get one off of pintrest. It appears that the silversmith who signed both my bangle and hirz is a guy from the Saleh family, Yahia Saleh. I'm not sure whether Anna Garner, the author of the blog has anything to do with Garner R, the person who wrote an article entitled Maker's Mark in Yemeni Jewelry, which was published in Ornament, Vol 26 (4) in 2003. I would be very interested in reading that article. I'm attaching a picture of the signed hirz I got today and one of the pintrest link to the aforementioned blog.

 

Wonderful, Raluca, yes that looks like the same mark.

I don't either, but Anna is a member of the 'Ethnic Jewels' forum, which has now been moved to Facebook. I am not on Facebook, so I can't provide a link, but maybe you can find it.