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This necklace is from is from the Ethiopian city of Harar, where it was worn only by Muslim women. It was part of the bridal trousseau. The spherical silver beads of this <em>muriya</em> necklace resemble Muslim prayer necklaces. Its warm yellow Baltic amber or Zanzibari copal simultaneously conveyed the wearer’s married status and her access to imported goods. Ornate filigree jewelry was historically made in Ethiopia for royals and nobility by specialized silversmiths trained through long apprenticeships. Customers were generally female, while silversmiths are always male.
Page data
- Page
- 1
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 7f754decbf0a8a9f
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 692273
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "692273",
"contentType": "object",
"title": "Necklace (muriya or murriyya)",
"description": "This necklace is from is from the Ethiopian city of Harar, where it was worn only by Muslim women. It was part of the bridal trousseau. The spherical silver beads of this <em>muriya</em> necklace resemble Muslim prayer necklaces. Its warm yellow Baltic amber or Zanzibari copal simultaneously conveyed the wearer’s married status and her access to imported goods. Ornate filigree jewelry was historically made in Ethiopia for royals and nobility by specialized silversmiths trained through long apprenticeships. Customers were generally female, while silversmiths are always male.",
"date": "late 1800s or early 1900s",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2025.155",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Jewelry"
],
"iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"cul": [
"Africa, East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith"
],
"accession": "2025.155"
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "692273",
"label": "Necklace (muriya or murriyya)",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "692273",
"contentType": "object",
"title": "Necklace (muriya or murriyya)",
"description": "This necklace is from is from the Ethiopian city of Harar, where it was worn only by Muslim women. It was part of the bridal trousseau. The spherical silver beads of this <em>muriya</em> necklace resemble Muslim prayer necklaces. Its warm yellow Baltic amber or Zanzibari copal simultaneously conveyed the wearer’s married status and her access to imported goods. Ornate filigree jewelry was historically made in Ethiopia for royals and nobility by specialized silversmiths trained through long apprenticeships. Customers were generally female, while silversmiths are always male.",
"date": "late 1800s or early 1900s",
"citation": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2025.155",
"rights": "CC0",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Jewelry"
],
"iiifBase": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"imageCount": 1,
"source": "import",
"cul": [
"Africa, East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith"
],
"accession": "2025.155"
}
Document source extras
{
"tec": "gilt silver, tree resin (possibly copal)",
"tombstone": "Necklace (muriya or murriyya), late 1800s or early 1900s. Africa, East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith. Gilt silver, tree resin (possibly copal). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Raymond A. Silverman, 2025.155",
"collection": "African Art",
"didYouKnow": "Besides archaeological examples, the oldest known Ethiopian jewelry dates from the 1840s; damaged items were typically melted down to make new pieces or to use during times of hardship.",
"citations": [
{
"citation": "“Museum News.” <em>Tribal Art 30</em>, i. 2 (Spring 2026): 28-41.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 39"
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2025.155",
"creditline": "Gift of Raymond A. Silverman",
"updatedAt": "2026-05-29 09:18:19.409000",
"imageUrl": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_print.jpg",
"sourceId": 692273,
"dept": "African Art",
"coll": "African Art",
"med": "gilt silver, tree resin (possibly copal)",
"thumbnail_url": null,
"image_url": null
}
Page context
{
"seq": 1,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2025.155/2025.155_web.jpg",
"mediaId": "7f754decbf0a8a9f"
}