Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains, and Berber Jewelry
Agafay Desert, Marrakech
Marrakech, Morocco
Our trip to Morocco was an amazing experience - we explored the Atacama desert, wandered through Berber villages, and ate some delicious tagine, but most importantly, we found some amazing jewelry! I want to share what I found and give you some advice and tips if you ever go on a trip to Morocco looking for jewelry.
The first thing to note is that the markets in the medinas of the city are the best place to search, in my experience. We spent most of our time in Marrakech and Fez, and both had incredible markets in the medina! I recommend bringing your loupe and a magnet along to get a better sense of what you're looking at. A lot of the jewelry I saw here wasn't hallmarked or signed in any way, so it's helpful to bring along some tools. And it's a good idea to bring a large water bottle and hat - Morocco is blisteringly hot for most of the year.
There is a huge range of jewelry that you can purchase in Morocco. Partially, this is because there are many ethnic groups in North Africa, and they all produce different and unique styles of jewelry. With a little knowledge and practice, you can quickly identify the origin of different types of Moroccan jewelry and figure out what you like and what to look for. But I also saw a lot of jewelry from other parts of the world, particularly Tibetan jewelry. I actually purchased a coral and turquoise Tibetan necklace while I was exploring Essaouira!
The two most common types of Moroccan jewelry I saw were those created by the Berber (or Amazigh) and the Tuareg. Luckily, these two types of jewelry are easy to tell apart once you understand their aesthetic differences. Berber jewelry is usually curvilinear, uses organic shapes, and often depicts nature themed motifs like flowers and leaves. The bright colorful enamel in blues, greens, and yellows that you might associate with Moroccan jewelry are also created by the Berber. By contrast, Tuareg jewelry is much more spare, plain, and geometric. Its most common motif is a cross-shaped design which represents a compass. It may also feature filigree-like silver wirework as decoration. Once you know what you like, and what you are looking for, then the next step is to head to the markets! I recommend shopping around - you will find a lot of people selling jewelry. But if you find something you truly love and can't live without, it's a good idea to pick it up right then and there. It's not going to be easy to find your way back through the maze of the medina to get back to that same shop! And the seller is likely to increase the price if they see you took the trouble to come back for something. In Morocco, haggling over the price is something that's expected, but there are some cultural aspects of haggling that are specific to Morocco. Shop owners will likely offer you a place to sit, and even a bottle of water or tea as a politeness and to show they are good hosts. It's expected that you'll take some time to chat, get to know the shop owners a little, tell them where you're from, and exchange pleasantries before haggling. It turns shopping into something social and you may find that you have some really good conversations!
Riad Tahyra, Marrakech
When you find something you like, it's a good idea to look at it carefully to get a sense of the age and condition of the piece. I found a wide range of pieces in the markets, all the way from tourist pieces probably produced in the last few weeks, to pieces redone from vintage and antique materials, to fakes meant to look like antiques and so on. Generally, I'm able to tell from the color, sheen and solder seams of a piece whether it has silver content, and if it's sterling silver. However, if that's not something you can easily do, a magnet can help you. If a piece is magnetic, it has very little silver content, if any. But note that there are metals that look like silver that aren't magnetic. To really know for certain that a piece is silver, you should check it for a ram's head hallmark. That hallmark signifies sterling silver in Moroccan pieces. You will also likely find a lot of unmarked silver pieces, although the alloy may not be as precise as it is in other parts of the world since may of these pieces are produced by small artisans and craftspeople. Turquoise, coral, amber, and glass beads are also very common materials for jewelry in Morocco! A few tips for identifying genuine gemstones - Amber is very difficult to identify because a lot of the pieces in Morocco are made from Copal, which is also a product of tree resin, but its in an earlier stage of fossilization. There are also a lot of fakes! And in Morocco, the prices for amber are high. Unless you're very confident in your ability to identify amber, I would recommend that you avoid buying it here. The best way to identify turquoise in my opinion, is to look carefully at the matrix (the brown, black or metallic part of the stone). I look for a matrix that seems organic, has a rough texture and isn't pure black in color. It shouldn't look shiny or sticky either. If the turquoise matrix feels smooth when you run your finger nail along it that's a good sign that it's either stabilized turquoise (turquoise that has been injected with resins to make it stronger smoother and shinier) or some type of faux turquoise. Coral is also notoriously difficult to identify and there are many types of faux coral, or coral simulants. I've found that natural coral is usually not bright red unless it's been dyed. Rather, it's generally a softer, orangey red color. I recommend looking at coral through a loupe and making sure that the textures you see look genuinely organic without consistent repeating shapes or textures, or a resin-like "swirl". My last piece of advice is to chat with the shop owners and ask a lot of questions! Many of the sellers I talked with had inherited the business from their father, grandfather, or great-grandfather, and they had a wealth of knowledge to share. Once they realized that I was genuinely interested in Moroccan jewelry and not just looking for a souvenir, many of them opened up and even shared book recommendations and other resources. Whether you're planning a trip to Morocco or looking for Moroccan jewelry online, I hope that I've given you some some things to think about and a good starting point to collect your own Moroccan jewelry!