Ensemble de bijoux kabyles

Description

1. round fibula “tabzimt”, silver(?)alloy, yellow, blue and green enamelled (also on the backside), silver beads, with five coral cabochons and seven enamelled pendants with coral, m: 6 cm x 10 cm; w: 85 g (a younger work)

2. amulet box, silver, yellow, blue and green enamelled, silver beads, cabochon of imitation coral, small pendants, on silver chain, m: 5,3 cm x 3,3 cm; w: 54 g

3. three single earrings, silver, partly enamelled in yellow, blue and green, partly with coral cabochons; w: 32 g

4. small round fibula “adwir” with pendants, silver, (ten France coin) enamelled in yellow, blue and green, coral cabochons, six small enamelled pendants, m: 11 cm x 5 cm; w: 60 g

5. round fibula “tabzimt” or “taharavt”, silver(?)alloy, enamelled in yellow, blue and green (also on reverse), silver beads, five large cabochons of red celluloid, d: 10,5 cm; w: 145 g

Celluloid (and a little later also bakelite) was used in Algerian jewellery objects very early - already shortly after the beginning of industrial production in France in the last decades of the 19th century - as a “substitute” for coral. It is also found on objects that were verifiably collected before 1900. The new material was not perceived as “inferior” or “cheap” and was also used in elaborately crafted pieces.