Necklace with pendant (waqari or wakari?)

likely early to mid-1900s · East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith

Modern · artifact

What the record shows

Elaborate silver-alloy and glass pendant necklace (waqari), probably made and worn in the Muslim city of Harar in the early to mid-1900s. Its half-moon pendant takes a protective crescent shape — a talismanic form used in Ethiopia since the Aksumite Empire — and its upper filigreed capsule is an amulet. Such massive jewelry, worn by Muslim women, holds aesthetic links to nearby Yemen.

Date
likely early to mid-1900s
Object type
silver pendant necklace
Recorded place
East Africa, probably Harar, Ethiopia, unknown silversmith
Holding
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession
2025.151