………………………This is my interpretation of one of my Berber Necklaces…………………I LOVE anything ethnic….I love artisan hand made things that are made with love and the talent and the imagination of the maker…………..The BERBER people are very special….They are a very proud people and don’t like to be compared to anyone else….They do not consider themselves as Arabs as such…..they are Berbers!…….The jewelry and items we bought for our home I will always cherish, because of the wonderful memories that they bring back to me…………………..My interpretation of this Berber necklace is very true to the original. The Berbers used BIG beads all hand carved and polished. Silver was mostly the metal they used. Over the years the silver aged and oxidized. The metal beads were many times fluted or had what looked like….tiny metal bead work. The spacer beads have this bead work and the larger metal beads and caps are all fluted or “ribbed”…..Some of the color beads are translucent and some have a cloudy opaque look, just as the real ones do…..I tried to simulate the real amber in resin. We are calling it Honey. I wanted to call it Amber, but we were not allowed to because it isn’t real amber, but an AMBER COLOR it is!…..The metal is SILVER OX to look like the aged metal beads of the original…..The earring has a smaller bead with two smaller fluted beads on either side. It has a lever back…….This necklace has some weight to it due to the solid resin beads, but will be very wearable for most…….I originally had many more beads in the necklace, as the original, but had to remove some to bring the weight down. Now I think it is perfectly balanced………Do not be afraid to wear these necklaces on prints as they are bold enough to carry their own importance…….This is an accent necklace….meaning it doesn’t have to coordinate with anything……..Wear it as the Berbers proudly would, and do…..with everything they own………..J392832, is the style number for the set……..I am very well aware this is not for everyone, and frankly I wouldn’t want it to be. It is for those who love artisan work….for those who love jewelry from different cultures…..for those who proudly know they are wearing something special……………………………enjoy……………………………much Love……………………………….Louis
Oh my, Louis! These have my daughter in law’s name all over them! She is very much an international kind of woman and lover of many cultures. She spent one summer when she was in high school in South Africa with her Baha’i youth group then a semester or so in Belgium when she was in college. She is fluent in French but also picks up a working mastery of any language she encounters. She is now a director of a program that arranges exchanges of young professionals from all over the world. She has very fair skin and very dark hair and eyes and can definitely carry this off! I give her a Linea necklace and sweater every Christmas, which she always LOVES! So she will have this one to add to her India and Inca necklaces and earrings. I think I will buy her this honey set. Of course she would also love the Egyptian set as well. May be a two Linea necklace Christmas for her!
Barbara….just wondering….is the Voodoo her cup of tea? It certainly has an ethnic vibe.
The style is definitely her cup of tea! But she prefers necklaces that hang long and low. Same with earrings. Also V-neck sweaters. She doesn’t like anything that is close to her neck. She is very busty as in DD busty and has a long torso. Her mother is Italian and he father Irish!
Still licking my wounds from not purchasing that long necklace you released in “Root Beer” (in addition to jewel tones) in 2013 or thereabouts, I am snapping this beauty up in a flash. Ah, finally, a warm, amber-like stone and silver necklace for me.
Your Berber necklace is a beautiful creation. (Love the background info, too.)
Dear Louis, This necklace is wonderful and a must have! Thank you for sharing your fabulous stories and beautiful photographs. All the best, Ruth
Oh my, must have this–and the Blue, too!