Qladet Qrenfol

NameNecklace

CultureBedouin

Date1920s

Possibly madeBeersheba Area, Historic Palestine, Middle East or West Asia, Asia

Mediumcloves, various beads, corals, and four silk tassels

Dimensionsoverall: 47 CM X 8 CM

Credit LineIFAF Collection

Object numberFA.1972.25.3 M

Collections

Palestinian Dress and Jewelry

DescriptionCloves, coral and glass beads, multi-colored, ending in four tassels. Button fastener.

FA. 72.25-3m Qladet Qrenfol (1920s) (Fig. 43) The so-called clove necklace was popular with married peasant and Bedouin women in Palestine. The reason is partially due to its pleasant odor. We know that in the Middle Ages, for example, scented garments were in vogue. The popularity of this necklace may also have been due to the high regard in which cloves were held in folk medicine. It was considered to have many healthful qualities and it is frequently included in works on traditional Arabic pharmacology. Among its many and diverse uses are those of hair conditioner and aphrodisiac. The latter use may also account for its popularity. This particular necklace consists of four sections of cloves, as well as various beads, corals, and four silk tassels. Clove necklaces were worn as faraway as Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. 13 Length: 47 cm. (Palestinian Costume and Jewelry, Yedida Kalfon Stillman, 1979 ISBN: 0-82630490-7)