Ear pendant c. 20th century

These ear pendants are just full of gorgeous color and texture. They were made by an Ait Jerrar Amazigh artist, and you can see all the time and care it would have taken to put them together. I can just picture the artist arranging the bright red coral, the smooth amber, and the patterned glass beads along the silver hoop, deciding just where each one should go. It’s like they're having a conversation with the materials, figuring out how to bring out their best qualities. I love how the rough texture of the coral contrasts with the smooth silver. And that little medallion—it’s like a tiny painting in itself, with those cheerful bursts of orange and green. It gives the piece this amazing energy, like a little sun shining in the middle. When I look at these, I think about all the different ways we use objects to express who we are and where we come from. Each bead and each piece of silver has its own story.