Matching Pair of Vintage Jewish Yemeni Hinged Bracelets

This matching pair of North Yemeni Bedouin beauties is known locally as shumali bracelets. from the first half of the 20th Century. They were made by master Jewish silversmiths of Yemen. There are three rows of florets separated by roping. The bracelet closes with a screw-in type of closure that works reasonably well, though it's somewhat sticky and opens clockwise. I believe one of the screws is a replacement for an original one.

The bracelet does not test positive for high-grade silver. The applique work however is silver. The bracelets are in good vintage condition but two silver beads are missing in one bracelet and three are missing from the other. They are in their original condition and have not been cleaned or polished. As you can tell from the dimensions, they are meant for a girl or a petite woman.

• Inner circumference 15 cm (5 7/8")
• Inner diameter 4.7 cm (just under 2")
• Width 2.5 cm (about 1")
• The weight of both is 124 g

 For more Bedouin jewelry visit the Bedouin Jewelry Section.