Signed Bethlehem mother-of-pearl jewelry

Signed Bethlehem mother-of-pearl jewelry
This stunning brooch is an example of the traditional Palestinian art of mother-of-pearl carving dating back to the 14th century. Hand carved by highly skilled artisans of Bethlehem, this 1970s brooch is marked “Beth-lehem”.
Today, mother-of-pearl is used in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes to make iridescent handmade items, such as crosses, souvenirs and jewelry. One of the most famous mother-of-pearl carvers and jewelry designers of the mid-century was Gregory Zugby, whose workshop ceased to exist in 1973.
Undoubtedly, mined in coastal waters, mother-of-pearl was a cheap, affordable and beautiful material for creating cult objects, souvenirs and jewelry. A school of mother-of-pearl carving was opened in Jerusalem in the middle of the 19th century. Pilgrimage literature describes bazaars and workshops where the locals created and sold magnificent examples of church arts and crafts. Over the next 100 years, the industry has developed to provide pilgrimage and tourist markets with rosary beads, crosses, small icons, boxes, holy book covers, and jewelry.

The younger generation of mother-of-pearl craftsmen in the Bethlehem area still do the work by hand, although most of them have automated workshops. Working with mother-of-pearl requires simple tools such as cutters. In addition, the craftsmen use chemicals to glue the pieces of mother-of-pearl together. Next, they polish them to not only improve their appearance, but also to preserve them for a long time. The work is laborious, requires skill and patience.

Signed Bethlehem mother-of-pearl jewelry