Jewelry and adornment of Libya

Hala Ghellali was eighteen years old when her father first took her to the market to buy her first silver bracelets. They visited traditional jewelers in the madina al-qadima, the old walled city of Tripoli. This single event in 1975, ignited her lifelong passion for traditional jewelry and costume items and she has been collecting objects and stories ever since. Her unique stories, personal observations, research and firsthand information about jewelry design and silversmithing fill this book. Jewelry and adornment of Libya aims to share with its readers a lifetime passion for the jewelry made in Tripoli and other areas of Libya. It includes a section dedicated solely to the role of jewelry and costume in Tripoli with narratives of traditional weddings, and traditions linked to jewelry gifting in the city. The book is dedicated to the local jewelers and masters of weaving and embroidery who have almost all disappeared, their art and skills not being passed on to the present generation.