Edward Lane says in his book “The Manners & Customs of the Modern Egyptians,” describing Egyptian women’s costumes during the 19th century, the Egyptians had many styles of necklaces, but they were almost all similar.
Among them is the “Olive Tree” necklace, which is a necklace consisting of 22 polygonal olive beads of different sizes, and the grain takes the form of two hexagonal pyramids; its ends with two minarets and is made of gold crust.
One of the Kerdan styles is called “Eish Beawarid”; it consists of four rows at its ends, and five rows in the middle, and these rows reach five flat girders, and this necklace was of 21-karat gold and also made of gold crust.
“Eish Hermat” Kerdan consists of five triangles and a chain that is wrapped around the neck and tied from the back.
The kerdan “Falahi Crescents” includes a strip of cloth, two crescent moons, a flower attached to it, and a group of blue beads.
The kerdan is formed in the way of the shiftishi style of gold crust and is used as an amulet against envy and witchcraft.
The kerdan “Smalk Bismak” is a necklace with a pendant, in the middle is a large hollow silverfish, and its head is opened to place the ruqyah.
The necklace is also used as a veil, dangling from each of them are two lights, a crescent moon, and pieces of old coins.
This kerdan continued to circulate in the Egyptian countryside at the end of the last century, as it is popular among the women of the town “Abu El Nomros” in Giza, as well as Belbes in Sharqia government.
Among the necklaces that women in the middle and poor popular classes had, is the Kerdan “barley horns and pulp”, and the “barley horns” necklace consists of 25 horns of hollow 21-karat gold, as well as hollow beads, both ends with a minaret; its thread extends to wrap around the neck and it is tied from the back.
This Kerdan continued to circulate in the markets until the seventies of the last century with minor changes in its shape.
Contributed by Israa Farhan
