Shine & Mystery

Just the thought of jewelry from the Orient makes you feel like you've been transported to a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights. Oriental jewelry represents beauty, wealth, but also power and also has a magical function in traditional societies. It was worn to protect against harm, but also to obtain blessings. The silversmiths used materials as diverse as gold, silver (also in the form of coins), coral, precious stones, pearls, amber and faience. But classic jewelry is primarily made of silver. Women received this as a wedding gift and often as a dowry from their own family. These pieces of jewelry were the personal property of the wearer and therefore also social security. They were passed down from generation to generation. If a piece was very worn, the silver was melted down and recreated in the same way. This meant that the memories of thousands of years could be preserved in this jewelry. The accompanying volume to the special exhibition of the same name at the Knauf Museum Iphofen shows oriental jewelry from Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the Levant from Peter Hosli's magnificent collection.