Marocco

The Berber jewels of Léla Sophia

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Music, minority rights, jewelry. Three aspects that are summarized by a single person: Léla Sophia. And they also reflect the vocation of her eponymous jewelry brand. Léla Sophia embodies all this complexity. She founded her jewelry line inspired by the Berber geometric patterns of the Moroccan population. But she is also a musician, performer, composer (her songs can also be found on Spotify and Apple Music). Finally, she is also involved in an association, the Bipoc project, based on the concept of solidarity between blacks, indigenous people and people of color (it is the acronym, in fact, of Black, Indigenous & People of Coloro Movement).

Akham (wise) amulet
Akham (wise) amulet

This philosophy is at the basis of the rediscovery of the designer’s North African cultural roots, transplanted to New York, where Léla lives. She went to Morocco only as an adult and she discovered designs and colors of North Africa. The jewels are made of recycled gold or silver, also with the addition of precious stones, and are inspired by amulets, or are engraved with ancient symbols of the Berber tradition, such as the tattoos seen on the face of Léla’s grandmother. Even the processing of jewelry reflects the simple style of Moroccan craftsmanship. Prices vary widely and range from $ 180 to $ 5,000.

Ameen (faithful), amulet ring
Ameen (faithful), amulet ring
Tayaran (flight), anello in oro o argento
Tayaran (flight), anello in oro o argento
Bracciale in oro e rubini
Bracciale aperto in oro e rubini
Bracciale chiuso in oro
Bracciale chiuso in oro
Nuqi (pure), amulet ring, oro 14 carati
Nuqi (pure), amulet ring, oro 14 carati

Ubdi (eternal), amulet in oro
Ubdi (eternal), amulet in oro







Discovered the oldest jewel in the world

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When was the jewelry born? Now the answer is there: about 150,000 years ago. At least, the oldest jewel discovered by archaeologists dates back to this period. In short, the women (or men) of our ancestors had an aspect to look after to make a good impression in the cave. Basically, not much has changed. The first jewel, of course, is very simple: it is a necklace made up of 33 shells, discovered in the Essaouira cave in Bizmoune, near the Atlantic coast of Morocco between 2014 and 2018. But only now are the details of the discovery known, after that the necklace has undergone a series of rigorous tests.

Le conchiglie utilizzate per la prima collana
Le conchiglie utilizzate per la prima collana

The shells, which also have markings of an applied color, are sea snail shells and form the beads with holes in the center and wear marks indicating their arrangement on ropes or clothing. Archaeologists associate this primitive jewel with the Aterian culture of the Stone Age. According to American archaeologist Steven L. Kuhn, shell pearls are the first evidence of the use of jewelry to communicate something about one’s identity. This aspect is also not very different from the one in use today. Until the discovery of the African necklace it was thought that the oldest piece of jewelry was the 23,000-year-old bead exhibited in Japan.
La più antica collana esposta
La più antica collana esposta







The woman globetrotter of Sence

If according Giuseppe Verdi the woman is mobile, to the Danish brand Sence Copenhagen thinks women are nomad. Not because she are homeless, but because they travel in to the world and may from time to time come into contact with different cultures, styles, fashions. On holiday or on business, by car or by plane, the woman crosses borders, including those established by the old aesthetics. Here, then, that Sence proposes a kind of self service of styles, with different references. The bijoux are in middle cost, but with a own value, for the invoice orderly and colorful style, but sober, in line with the Nordic character of the brand.
For example, the line Casablanca idealizes the charm of Morocco. The Urban Gipsy collection uses high quality materials, hypoallergenic, with satin finish, gold and silver, enamel and bright shades give emotion and feeling. The Barcelona collection consists of bracelets evidently inspired by the Catalan city. Here are pictures of the collections. Giulia Netrese

Collezione Barcellona. Prezzo: 55 euro
Collezione Barcellona. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione nera. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione nera. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione oliva. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione oliva. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione verde acqua. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione verde acqua. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione ocra. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione ocra. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione rossa. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione rossa. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione fucsia. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in versione fucsia. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Urban Gipsy. Prezzo: 50 euro
Urban Gipsy. Prezzo: 50 euro
Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Urban Gipsy, bracciale in cuoio. Prezzo: 50 euro
Sence, pendente della linea Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, pendente della linea Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 60 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 60 euro
Sence, orecchini Casablanca. Prezzo: 40 euro
Sence, orecchini Casablanca. Prezzo: 40 euro
Sence, pendente Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, pendente Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Sence, bracciale Casablanca. Prezzo: 70 euro
Linea Casablanca, bracciale. Prezzo: 60 euro
Linea Casablanca, bracciale. Prezzo: 60 euro
Orecchini Casablanca. Prezzo: 40 euro
Orecchini Casablanca. Prezzo: 40 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale con perle bianche. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale con perle bianche. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale con perle marsala. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale con perle marsala. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale dorato. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale dorato. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona, bracciale. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona. Prezzo: 55 euro
Sence, collezione Barcellona. Prezzo: 55 euro
Bracciale della collezione Barcellona color argento. Prezzo: 55 euro
Bracciale della collezione Barcellona color argento. Prezzo: 55 euro