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Source Description
Ornate filigree jewelry was historically made in Ethiopia for royals and nobility by specialized silversmiths trained through long apprenticeships. This elaborate pendant necklace (<em>waqari)</em> probably made and worn in the Muslim city of Harar. Muslim women wore such massive jewelry, which holds aesthetic links to nearby Yemen. Its half-moon pendant is a protective crescent shape and its upper filigreed capsule is an amulet. The crescent symbol has existed as a talismanic form in Ethiopia since the Aksumite Empire (1–700s CE).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
692269
label
Necklace with pendant (waqari or wakari?)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
692269
contentType
object
title
Necklace with pendant (waqari or wakari?)
description
Ornate filigree jewelry was historically made in Ethiopia for royals and nobility by specialized silversmiths trained through long apprenticeships. This elaborate pendant necklace (<em>waqari)</em> probably made and worn in the Muslim city of Harar. Muslim women wore such massive jewelry, which holds aesthetic links to nearby Yemen. Its half-moon pendant is a protective crescent shape and its upper filigreed capsule is an amulet. The crescent symbol has existed as a talismanic form in Ethiopia since the Aksumite Empire (1–700s CE).
date
likely early to mid-1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Jewelry
imageCount
1
source
import
cul
East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith
accession
2025.151
Source extras
tec
silver alloy, glass
tombstone
Necklace with pendant (waqari or wakari?), likely early to mid-1900s. East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith. Silver alloy, glass. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Raymond A. Silverman, 2025.151
collection
African Art
didYouKnow
Silversmiths also made objects for religious and royal use, like crowns and crosses.
creditline
Gift of Raymond A. Silverman
updatedAt
2026-05-29 09:18:18.787000
sourceId
692269
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
silver alloy, glass
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
1bd30f3356f10a1f