The production
of jewelry in Morocco was for a long time the domain of Jewish craftsmen. It
seems that this monopoly went back to ancient days. Only Jews were authorized
to work on precious metals, because under Islam, selling gold or silver objects
for more than the price of their weight was considered a form of usury. The
entirety of city jewelry and a large part of Berber production were made by
Jewish craftsmen until the community departed Morocco.
In the
southern Berber regions, however, Muslims jewelers existed, in particular in
the regions of Tiznit and Tafraout, where they coexisted with Jewish workers in
villages like Tahala. In the center of the Anti-Atlas Mountains, the work of Tamgout’s
Muslim craftsmen was renowned, but their activity had practically stopped by
the middle of the twentieth century for unclear reasons. In most rural regions
of Morocco, inhabitants bought jewelry from craftsmen living in mellahs (Jewish
neighborhoods). These workers made the fineries for surrounding tribes, following
processes handed down by tradition. Silver was the characteristic metal for
Berber jewelry while gold was much more appreciated in cities. The most attractive
jewelry is made in southern Morocco with regional differences.
Symbolic
meaning
Moroccan
women, especially Berber women, are known for their silver jewelry, part of
their social identity and a symbol of pride and prestige. Formerly, the forms
and designs of jewelry could signal membership in a tribe. Jewelry might have
spiritual meaning as well with some pieces offering protection and promising prosperity,
securing fertility or curing diseases, or defending against the evil eye.
Production
Techniques
In the
North Atlas, as well as southeast up to the Draa Valley, techniques were
simple. Silver was molded into pieces like bracelets and fibulas (brooches for
holding clothes together). These often held small pendants of smoothed and
engraved silver. In Imerhane and Ait Ouaouzguit, jewelry was decorated with filigree.
Techniques have developed even further and today there are various ways of
shaping silver, including molding, hammering, and others.
Materials
Used
Traditional
Berber jewelry is essentially made of silver and sometimes bronze. This basic
material is sometimes embellished with coral, colored enamel, turquoise, amber,
shell, fiber, or glass stone. City jewelry is markedly different. Jewelry is
there made of grooved gold, finely crafted, and intricate filigree, and
frequently ornamented by precious stones like pearls, garnets, emeralds, and
diamonds. Gold has been worked for a long time in Rabat, Meknes, Marrakech, and
Tangier and was mostly destined for the upper classes (see figure below).
Jewelry
Shops
The
names of kissaria or siyagha (see figure below) are used to denote the ensemble of shops where
jewelry is typically sold, both Berber and urban. This craftsmen’s universe displays
the range of their creativity, with such items as bracelets, earrings, necklaces,
rings, pendants, fibulas, chain bracelets, silver and golden belts, and more. Silver
jewelry and Saharan pieces carried by nomads are frequently available in the
souks of Tiznit, Tan Tan and Goulmim.
Types
of Jewelry
Bracelets
are an essential element for family festivities. Bracelets always come in
pairs. They are either simple abzg
(big hoops), decorated with stones and closed with a tanbilt. Also nice for decorating the wrists of ladies are nbala and srtla, which have a stacked hinge. Khalkhals are ankle bracelets ornamented with a silver chain. There
are various styles of bracelets including the sahraoui, safari, louban, and Berber.
Magnificent
rings with geometric or floral shapes are also made by Moroccan craftsmen. They
often include delicate filigree and can be decorated with coral, colored enamel,
and turquoise.
Necklaces
are frequently ornamented with coral and pearls, separated by silvered
filigree. They can be also used as headbands, maintained behind by hooks and
chains. Berber necklaces are made of handcrafted beads and large amber stones assembled
together; they have a chain at the end which allows the size to be adjusted. They
cover the entire upper chest.
Pendants,
attached either to necklaces or bracelets, are made with
delicacy in various forms and are often decorated with coral, turquoise,
enamel, and glass stones.
Earrings
are handcrafted in different forms and styles. The fine labor of chiseling often
gives each pair unique detailing. Berber earrings called tikhrazin are decorated with engraved drawings using semi-precious
stones. Berber women wear them in various locations in the ear and each has its
own name (douah, boukanat, tixrsin).
Fibulas (or brooches) are called tazrzit or bzima and are traditionally associated with Berber women. Formerly, they served to hold together draped clothes. In Morocco, fibulas are now used to fasten silhams. Big or small, they are triangular in form and made by fine chiseling, often engraved, and decorated with colored stone. Their center is adorned with a silver sphere, sometimes attached to a small chain. Today, women wear brooches on dresses, on their chest and as hair ornaments. These pieces can weigh more than a kilogram.
The
khmissa, or “hand of Fatma,” is a symbol widely used in the jewelry craft and
believed by Moroccans to protect from the evil eye. They are made of silver as
pendants and are finely chiseled with traditional Berber designs.
The
craftsman’s work on precious metals is not limited to the production of jewelry.
Jewish metalsmiths often made silver objects for religious and ritual occasions.
In cities, they also crafted and ornamented everyday objects at the request of
clients. Today, Moroccan traditional jewelry has evolved with customer tastes,
even as production techniques and styles have endured.
Interview
The interview was conducted with a 28-year-old jewelry seller named Najib in his shop “Kissaria of Jamaa Lafna” in Marrakech.
Zahra: How long have you been in this business?
Najib: I started when I was 18, that means 10 years.
Hana: How did you get involved?
Najib: I actually didn’t choose this business. It was my father’s shop. He died and I inherited it from him.
Hana: What are the skills required to work in this business?
Najib: We must be patient, welcoming, and especially trustworthy to avoid problems with clients. It’s preferable to have a lot of information about jewelry, because tourists ask many questions.
Nezha: What are the different types of jewelry are sold?
Najib: There’s a big variety of jewelry. We have bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces, chain bracelets, fibulas, pendants.
Zahra: What are they made of?
Najib: They are made essentially of silver and decorated with coral, enamel, turquoise, glass stones.
Nezha: How can you distinguish the best quality of silver?
Najib: Real silver is more resistant than silvery metal. It’s recognizable by its clear white color.
Hana: Where is the jewelry made?
Najib: The silver jewelry is made in Tiznit and Tafraout.
Hana: Who makes them?
Najib: Berbers are the specialists in the manufacturing of jewelry. They inherited it from Jews who lived in Morocco.
Nezha: What are the dominant styles?
Najib: There a lot of jewelry styles. But Berber styles dominate because they are better appreciated.
Nezha: What are the bestselling pieces?
Najib: The bestselling jewelry are silver necklaces and earrings.
Zahra: Who are your best clients?
Najib: Actually, my best clients are foreign tourists, especially the Scandinavian, they are my favorite clients.
Zahra: Why?
Najib: Because they don’t negotiate on prices. Not like the French, who love to bargain.
Hana: Do you wish to pass on this business to your children?
Najib: No! I want them to study and become doctors and architects.
Glossary
Abzeg: a very simple bracelet
Bzima: Arabic name for a fibula or brooch
Douah, boukanat, tixrsin: names for Berber earrings
Fatma: Fatima Zahra, the prophet Mohammed‘s daughter, popular symbol for jewelry
Khakhal: name for an ankle bracelet
Khmissa: the form of a hand palm with five fingers
Kissaria: a set of shops where jewelry is sold
Louban: Arabic name for amber
Mellah: name for the neighborhood where Jewish residents of cities lived
Nbala: a big engraved bracelet
Sahraoui: comes from the Sahara, the Moroccan desert
Silham: traditional dress put on top of jellabas or kaftans at traditional festivities
Siyagha: place where jewelry is manufactured
Srtla: seven bracelets which must be worn together
Tanbilt: a small chain which holds bracelets together
Tazrzit: a Berber name for a famous fibula of triangular form
Tikhrazin: a Berber name for earrings
- Compiled by Nezha Bougalla, Zahra
Lafouini, and Hana Nacaf
