Necklace, silver gilt inset with glass, Morocco, 19th century

Elaborate silver-gilt necklace threaded on green cord, with gold thread terminals braided in three knots ending in a bunch of twisted tassels with gold sequins. There is a similar bunch of tassels on the cord just before each terminal. The body of the necklace consists of ten hollow, fluted oval beads. Between the oval beads hang large hollow angular gilt pendants with plain flat backs. Each of these has a smaller hollow oval pendant hanging from it, followed by a crescent with a fluted back and finally a small teardrop with a flat back. All the pendants are set on the front with green, or green and red, glass pastes.

Accessions register entry - 'Necklace ("wroughrabic"[sp?] type) of thin silver gilt beads and pendants set with glass pastes. Ten pointed oval ribbed beads are separated by nine pendants each in three parts linked together:- a larger one of lozenge form with lateral projections; a smaller oval with lobed edge; and a crescent with a pear-shaped drop. Strung on a green silk cord decorated at each end with gold tinsel thread and spangles. Price £1. 15s.
Miss K. Marion Reynolds, 8 Darnley Road, Notting Hill, W.'

Necklaces, or lebba, of this kind, were worn by Moroccan brides from Fez and by upper-middle-class women on other festive occasions. The necklace is made of ten fluted ovoid silver gilt beads strung on a green cord separated by nine three-part silver gilt pendants, ending in a crescent-and-moon motif. Each part of the pendant has been decorated with pieces of red and green glass. More expensive versions of this necklace would have been decorated with precious stones. The necklaces were believed to offer protection to the wearer.

M.97-1909