Artwork Page for Necklace with beads (sadi?)

Details / Information for Necklace with beads (sadi?)

Necklace with beads (sadi?)

late 1800s or early 1900s

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith

Medium
silver alloy
Credit Line
Gift of Raymond A. Silverman 2025.153
Public Domain
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Location
108C African Jewelry and Metalwork
Print
?

Did You Know?

There are no local sources of silver in Ethiopia.

Description

This necklace has an abundance of phallic beads representing fertility framed by dozens of smaller silver beads. Specialists in gold and silver would melt silver into small balls that were then attached to drawn rods of metal. Atop each bead is a pile of small granulations; these tiny metal spheres are small like pieces of grain.
A silver alloy necklace features a thin dark cord that transitions into rows of small beads. From these beads hang many vertical pendants clustered in a dense U-shape. Each pendant is a small cylinder topped by a rounded nub and finishing in a flared, tiered base. The muted gray metal creates a repetitive, rhythmic pattern along the lower half of the necklace, which is knotted at the top.

Necklace with beads (sadi?)

late 1800s or early 1900s

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith

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