jewelry and economy
Jewelry is often regarded as an extra investment and savings account. When a family has money to spare, it is often used to buy jewelry. In countries where inflation and economical crises occur regularly, it is more wise to invest in jewelry that can be sold when needed, than to keep money in a bank account where it might well lose its value over time. On the other hand, when the family needs money, jewelry is sold. The jewelry of a woman is sometimes described as the family only wealth. During my research for Desert Silver, I have collected prices as they were mentioned in several traveler’s descriptions of their journeys into the Middle East, and compared them to the amounts of jewelry given to a woman on her wedding day. It appeared that the family’s real capital is not in jewelry, but in cattle and land. The jewelry of a woman however formed her own capital and personal savings account.
A face veil or burqa from Sinai. Coins decorate the veil to show the affluence of the wearer
The largest amount of jewelry is collected at the occasion of a woman’s wedding. The dowry is pivotal to the marriage negotiations between two families and reflects the status of a woman as bride and wife. The jewelry gift a woman receives is hers to keep, as is stated in the Qur’an. The amount of jewelry acquired at marriage can be increased upon the birth of a child or other festive occasions. This jewelry as well belongs only to the woman, who can sell it at will.
On these pages, examples are given of the various ways in which jewelry is used in the economical mechanisms in the Middle East.