Featured bracelet help

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by smallaxe, May 2, 2022.

  1. smallaxe

    smallaxe Well-Known Member

    Family piece but details of age and exact origin not remembered. Silver or silver plate. No marks of any kind. Looks vaguely Arabic to me. Family member it came from visited Egypt around 1920, so could it be a tourist thing from there? Curious to find out more about this.
    IMG_20220502_140111~2.jpg
     
    komokwa, kyratango, judy and 6 others like this.
  2. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    Looks like a tughra on it, so maybe Turkish, especially with that clasp. @Any Jewelry ?
     
    Bakersgma, judy, Any Jewelry and 2 others like this.
  3. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    puppy needs a polish !
    silver , I'd surmise..
     
    kyratango, judy and Any Jewelry like this.
  4. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    It is a silver calligraphy bracelet from North Africa, Citedine style, a style I love for its bold elegance.
    Most were made in Tunisia and Algeria, some in Morocco too. I don't know of any made in Egypt, and I think this one could be Algerian.

    The style originated in the cities of the region, which had a mixed Moorish, Jewish and European culture. Many silversmiths were Jewish.
    North African Moors are a mix of native Berber and Middle Eastern Arabic, btw. The Arabs introduced Arabic script to North Africa, and the art of calligraphy.

    There are probably tiny marks on or near the rims, or even on the tubes of the pin clasp. I expect the silver fineness to be ca .800, which is considered good.
    The marks can be pinhead size, so check for any small indentation. It is easier to spot them after you've polished the bracelet. I advise a sunshine cloth.

    The calligraphy is either religious, or simple souvenir type, like the name of a town.
    I used to have a brass one that had 'free woman' on it.:) Could have been linked to the Algerian war of independence, or to Amazigh (Berber) identity, but we'll never know.
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2022
  5. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    I should have known that, you identified earrings for me.
     
  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    A simple case of forgetting more than a dimwit will ever know.:playful::kiss:
     
    kyratango likes this.
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