Kabyle jewelry
Their peculiarity is the presence of glazes of different colors (blue, green,
yellow for recent works) that contrast with the bright red cabochon
coral set. Enamel is a powder that is generally composed of sand, red lead,
potash and soda finely ground. At high temperature, it is vitrified. The
various oxides used for tinting are:
* Chromium oxide for translucent dark green.
* Cobalt oxide to the translucent blue.
* Dioxide copper opaque light green.
* Lead chromate for yellow.
The preparation is complex and nowadays, the artisans just buy
enamels ready.
The technique of enamelling practiced in Kabylia has a special character
is to define the parts of jewelry intended to be colored. For this,
son are silver soldered to a silver plate. They delimit compartments
receiving enamels. In addition, a greater or lesser concentration
dye allows for more or less vivid colors or more
less dark, but the flexibility of the jeweler is very narrow.
After drying in air, the jewelry item is placed in a furnace. The
enamels not take a brilliant and bright after being cooled appearance. The
slightest error in dosage or temperature can lead to disaster. Too
concentrated or too diluted, the dye does not crystallize or gives
poor outcome. Moreover, no recovery is possible. However, a craftsman
extensive knowledge of his work and he rarely misses a play, even going
until very subtle color variations. Furthermore enamelling craftsman
using other techniques such as the watermark, granulation, incision and burning
Lead on.
For welding, the craftsman uses different assays Kabyle money. The body of
jewel is almost pure silver (greater than 900 thousandths titration). For
solder alloys used range from 831 thousand to 475 thousand money by
part (the remainder being borax and copper) and the jeweler uses five
alloys titrations decreasing. Their melting temperature range from 830 ° to 700 ° c.
If multiplies welds, the craftsman must indeed used alloys with titration
is increasingly weak and whose melting point is lower and lower. This
means that when making a solder, it is able to evaluate at least thirty
degrees near the temperature of the welding torch, otherwise it severely degrade
the jewel it works.
The optimum temperature of a solder alloy consisting of about ten degrees
above its melting point, the reach is a feat all the
Blowtorch is mostly traditional. Despite these extreme conditions,
craftsman Kabyle rarely misses a weld, knowing obtain the temperature
problems. More than a craftsman, he is an artist of fire!
Typical Kabyle jewelry are as follows (1):
* The ihelhalen (ankle) can be large (up to thirteen
centimeters high.) It is characterized by a lack of enamel decoration on
main body of the object. This is for the cover plates
latch. The decoration work is done by incising and engraving
lead. A large coral cabochon surrounded by silver balls complements
the ornamentation of the ankle.
* The DDAH or amesluh is smaller than the ankle bracelet. it is enamelled or
engraved on lead.
Fibulae * bind to the fabric by a pin which slides within a
ring. There are many types:
– The idwiren and taharaht are small.
– The tibzimin are brooches large sizes.
– The ibzimen are triangular brooches.
– The adwir enamel is mounted on a coin. It is round in shape with
cabochons coral crimped supplemented with pendants.
– The taharaht is a small brooch made of a thick silver circle on which
are welded silver balls.
– The tabzimt is the centerpiece of the Kabyle jewelery piece. This is a great fibula
Round richly decorated and which covers the chest. This object includes
many watermarks. enamels, silver balls and a variety of corals.
* The taessaht is a tiara that has become very rare nowadays. It was intended to
adorn the front. Décor is made of enamel, wholesale coral cabochons
and silver balls.
* The earrings are of several types:
– The letrak ear are very old type loops that have a ring
oval decorated at the end by crimping coral and enamel.
– The tigwedmatin is composed of coral adorned with rings on the ends. These
earrings are decorated with enamelled round plates and equipped with
elongated pendants.
It should be added that Kabylia is a very special technique
molded silver bracelets that resemble those of the Aures.
We offer a slideshow that shows you the main Kabyle jewelry
especially those high Kabylie. To achieve this, click on the link
below.
Kabyle Jewellery
The origins of Kabyle jewelry are much discussed.
The techniques of casting and molding money back obviously to
antiquity, even prehistory. Many decorations, especially the
pendants, resemble nothing so much as those known from the end of the Iron Age
and the Bronze Age in North Africa. We now know that these techniques
are maintained during the antiquity, and they were common throughout Africa
North. The jewelry Kabylia, close to many points that
Aures, is the direct heir.
The origin of jewelry Grande Kabylie is a much more complex issue.
It is certain that the origin of the frame of the jewelry is often very ancient. This is the
For bracelets, brooches some, many earrings.
Their ornamentation pose other qiestion. It was thought to be that
the use of silver filigree and coral was due to the barbarian invasion
Vandals, whose jewelry is well loved. This assumption runs into
considerable difficulties: Vandals have never entered in Great Kabylia, and
they were even expelled from North Africa by the resistance of princes Imazighen.
We do not see how they could influence the Kabyle jewelry.
We now know that these techniques introduced by the Vandals and the Visigoths,
were a great success in Spain, and it maintained there after the conquest
Muslim. It is also under the Andalusian Muslims that the technique of enamel
was finally developed. From 1609 to 1614, the reconquest of Spain by
Christians led to the exile of two hundred thousand people. They settled
Morocco, central Algeria, Kabylia and Tunisia. We strongly believe that
This massive exodus led many jewelers, including Jews in Africa
North. They have brought their expertise. Another argument in favor
This hypothesis can not be found in the jewelry very few symbols
Imazighen, unlike pottery or weaving. Until very recent times
(1950) produced some Moroccan jewelers enamel parts
very similar to the Kabyle jewelry.
The existence and ankle bracelets with clasps needle, known to
back to prehistoric times, is not contradictory: it is likely that
imazighen have preserved the ancient jewelry designs for the frame, and
integrated new techniques for decorating.
Kabyle jewelry is probably the heirs of a set of techniques that
ranging from prehistory to the Middle Ages.
_____________
(1) The names given here in Amazigh are given as
code, especially as it is transcribed. Depending on the type of jewelry, many
terms exist. This is also true for jewelry Aures. Also, in
slideshows, you will often find different terms because they apply
to very specific types of jewelry.
This slide shows you the ancient Kabyle jewelry. The extraordinary skill
traditional jewelers is amply illustrated here. The craft has been exceeded, and
we can talk about art, as the beauty of these pieces is remarkable.
To view images, click one of the links on the left.
The choice “catalog” offers a preview of all
photographs.
To return to the previous page, close this window.
Copyright images Leroul M., Idir H. Mohand and B. all rights reserved.
Menu
Introduction
Catalogue
# Kabyle Women (1).
# Earring.
# Earrings.
# Lettrak.
# Bracelet and ring.
# Pendant.
# Complete Sets (1).
# Complete Sets (2).
# Detail of an ornament.
# Collier.
# Pendant.
# Bracelets.
# Tiara.
# Tiara: detail.
# Crown of Beni Yenni (1).
# Crown of Beni Yenni (2).
# Bracelets and rings feet.
# Sets.
# Detail of a necklace.
# Jewelry boxes.
# Rings.
# Fibula.
# Ankle.
# Sxab.
To dear reader i have written this article about my region kabylie region jewelry as there is few article in english about it since our brothers jewelry from morrocco are more talked about , i hope that english readers will appreciate that berber algerian jewelry are nice and a credit to berber culture in general.
Berber jewelry 
