Antique Handmade Yemeni Woven Silver Wire Waist Belt
This listing is for a long woven high silver wire belt, traditionally worn by Yemeni women, especially in the Northern Hadramaut. These loop-in-loop chain belts were wrapped around the waist. It is said that the more times the belt was wrapped around, the more wealthy and worthy the wearer would be. The belt is secured by a silver hook and loop closure, attached to the belt with silver finials.
An example of a similar belt, along with a description of its use can be found at p.190 of Ransom, M., Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Regional Yemeni Jewelry, AUC Press, 2014.
Such belts are rare collectible items, wearable as a belt on a tunic-like dress, or possibly used as a heavy long necklace. We are fortunate to have found not one but two of these museum-quality rare pieces!
The first belt (labeled A) is 154 cm (about 60.6") long, 10mm wide, and weighs 418g (14.7 oz). It has a simple floral decoration on the clasp.
The second belt (labeled B) is longer, 172 cm (about 67.7") long, 10mm wide, and weighs 532g. This belt has more elaborate finials, with geometric decoration.
Please see the photos for detail. You can choose the option at checkout
Weights and sizes are approximate.
IMPORTANT NOTE. In the world of beads, and especially ancient and antique beads, errors in identification are common. We do our best to research and classify our beads accurately, however, mistakes are certainly possible. If you are a bead expert and notice any errors in the description, we invite you to please contact us and let us know. We are always grateful for any new information. We also accept returns no questions asked. See our Return Policy for details.
COLORS: Our photos are taken in different lighting in an attempt to show how beads look in different lighting conditions. We make every effort to show colors as accurately as possible. The white background photos are taken in daylight conditions. The black background photos are taken in the strong lab light and would be representative of what they would look like in the evening electric light. Some of the photos are backlit to emphasize their translucency. Note that monitor settings strongly affect the way the colors look. What you see on your monitor may differ from what you see with the naked eye depending on your monitor settings.
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