Yemeni Silver Pendant with Bells and Dangles, Ethnic Beads 0771

This listing is for a Yemeni pendant with dangles and bells. The base of the pendant is a 40x20 mm rectangle, with two loops for attachment to the necklace, and 3 sets of 35mm long dangles, with two bells on each dangle. The pendant weighs 28g. Yemeni beads were made of silver and copper alloy, of variable copper to silver ratio. The exact silver content of these beads is not known. This pendant is dated to the early to mid-1900s. Yemenite jewelry-making goes back to the biblical Queen of Sheba and her gifts of jewelry to King Solomon. Later Islamic rule in Yemen imposed a prohibition on jewelry making on the Muslim population, and the art of Yemenite silversmithing became exclusively the domain of the Jewish community of Yemen, and it is to this community we owe the exquisite pieces of silver jewelry from Yemen. This art was passed from generation to generation. Today, however, the art of Yemenite silversmithing is in decline. Only just a handful of Jewish silversmiths remain in Yemen