Sold! Vendu! Verkauft!
AÏT ATTA BRACELET
This is the famous Moroccan Aït Atta bracelet called “le Bracelet à Douze Pointes” (“Abzg n iqurraïn” in the Tamaziɣt Berber). The bracelet of the twelve points. This bracelet is notorious and consists of three separate parts, seldom properly described and surrounded by myths. The middle part consists of a shape of large twelve star-formed protrusions of heavy silver in a tribal alloy with a slender yet broad sleeve on either side of “the sun”. On both sides of this broad middle band the bracelet is covered by two other heavy silver bracelets often decorated with wavy ribs sporting a chiseled and niello drawing. Originally leather sheets and thick sheep grease held the three bracelets tightly together and prevented the skin of the woman’s arms from becoming trapped and damaged.
This entire bracelet weighs as much as 1.586 kilo and dates from the beginning of the 20th century.
Aït Atta women used to wear these on each wrist in everyday life. Not only as a portable wealth of silver, but as a means to self-defense. Together with Mohamed Saadouni, berberologist and arabist, linked to the faculty of Berber Studies at the Leiden University in the Netherlands I wrote an extensively documented paper on this notorious bracelet. If you are interested, please drop me a message and give me your e-mail address and I will see to it you get the article either in English, French or Dutch.
These are old ethnic lost wax cast Aïtt Atta bracelets in a tribal silver alloy. It is impossible to say what the silver grade is. Tribal alloys of that age are always impure. One does not buy these enormous and heavy bracelets to wear but to display in an ethnic collection. Free shipping.
Details:
Inner diameter of the middle part in centimeters: 6
Inner diameter of the middle part in inches: 2.36
Outer perimeter of the middle part in centimeters: 37
Outer perimeter of the middle part in inches: 14.57
Height of the middle part in centimeters: 5
Height of the middle part in inches: 1.97
Inner diameter of the two joining bracelets in centimeters: 6.5
Inner diameter of the two joining bracelets in inches: 2.56
Height of the two joining bracelets in centimeters: 3.4
Height of the two joining bracelets in inches: 1.34
Outer perimeter of the two joining bracelets in centimeters: 29
Outer perimeter of the two joining bracelets in inches: 11.42
Weight of the whole bracelet in kilos: 1.586
Weight of the whole bracelet in ounces: 3.496
theaphaedra –
The graceful and lace-like pierced designs on this bracelet are a wonderful balance of large flowing shapes and small repeated patterns. It’s an exquisitely made wearable confection. I can’t thank Taco enough. His service was truely superb. 10 stars.
Fsamuel1423 –
1) All what I can say is that this Ouled Naïl bracelet is magnificent. My daughter wanted one for ages. So, for her birthday, I got her one.
2) The seller, Taco, is an absolute gem and so very helpful. Thank you for your patience!
3) The shop is filled with Berber quality items, some that cannot be found easily or anywhere else. I love it and my daughter too.
A great shopping experience.
Fam Min –
Taco is an absolute delight. This is a genuine heavy silver Kashmiri necklace of the highest quality. As an ethnic Kashmiri woman living in the West, I wanted a necklace that reminded me of my motherland and recently passed grandma. It is an honour to wear something of my culture with something as simple as jeans and a T-shirt (as most Kashmiri tribal pieces are very heavy and decorative). And it goes so well with my sheen khaal tattoo as shown in the photo. I asked Taco how he acquired the necklace and he said he bought it in Paris and his life’s travels and adventures. His wisdom and experiences are fascinating and so too are his customer service skills! I will treasure it for a lifetime. Thank you Taco! And thank you for the backstory of the piece, it only means more to me now.
Johanne –
This bracelet is a true collector’s item! The transaction was outstanding in all respects from early communication through to shipping around the world. It was lovingly packaged and took my breath away when I first saw it in person. A family heirloom. Thank you Taco!