Vintage Berber Beaded Necklace - Vintage Tribal Copal

What a fantastic tribal collection!  This big beaded necklace from Morocco not only includes traditional glass and copal beads, but also incorporates metal cone-shaped pendants, bits of shell and a few huge coin pendants, some with jewels.  A few bits of shell, metal and plastic beads and a couple of buttons are thrown in for good measure. This necklace is in original condition on original cord as when I received it. Pretty, traditional colors, including amber yellow and coral red for protection plus traditional black and white.  Lots of detail to keep that pesky evil eye at bay!

Necklaces, headdresses, bracelets and other jewelry using silver, coral, amber, beads and other elements, and even the colors and designs of these pieces all have meaning in tribal societies. Berber, or 'Amazigh' women are the carriers of the cultural & ethnic identity through their art forms – jewelry, carpet & fabric weaving, fashion, and embroidery. Tattooing was also once widely practiced among women. In the recent past, when a girl reached puberty, sometime between the ages of eleven and fourteen, her mother, aunts, or family friends would tattoo her face and wrists. Although no longer practiced today, tattooing was once a rite of passage, marking a girl‘s transition into womanhood. Usually small groups of girls were tattooed at the same time, making it a very social activity, shared and passed on among women.

Item No. JNM0139
Total Necklace Length: 21 inches
Beaded Length:  About 14.5 inches
Materials:  Resin beads, small mixed metal pendants, glass beads, plastic beads, buttons, shell bits, coins with glass jewels
Bead Color:   Multi - amber/orange, coral red, green, black white
Closure:  Bead and loop, original closure
Additional Info: Attractive Berber assemblage necklace with a variety of materials.
The variety of copal beads here is impressive:  opaque to translucent, small to extra large.
Country of Origin: Morocco
Condition: Vintage

Please check photos carefully for condition. You will receive the exact piece(s) shown in the photos on this page. This is a USED piece that has been previously worn in country. As a previously used tribal item it may have small flaws such as loose or missing jewels, missing bells, obvious repairs, may be tarnished or worn, or have other small flaws.

A NOTE ON THE CONDITION OF TRIBAL ITEMS: Our jewelry is used tribal jewelry, from faraway lands. As used pieces the condition of our items will reflect their prior lives as treasured tribal pieces. Please know that we strive to maintain the tribal allure of our items and therefore we do not clean or repair these pieces in any way. We leave that choice to the buyer, as each may prefer something different. This not only maintains the old, tribal look of each piece that our belly dance customers seek, but also preserves the value of a piece that cleaning might diminish.

We do our best to describe any flaws that may be present in our items, and we encourage you to read the full description and look at all photos closely to judge the condition of the item for yourself and know exactly what you are ordering. If you have questions about the condition of any item, please ask!