Legend of the Celebra Necklace
“ My beloved is the reflected image of our hills….she is more beautiful than the white baby camels tasting milk at the breasts of their mothers.”
Tuareg Love Poem
Tuareg, Berber Ethnic Group, North Africa, Wood Engraving, Published 1899
The tale of this necklace recounts how a caravan lost its way in the Tenere desert between Bilma and Agadez, men and camels dying of thirst and fatigue. A lovely young woman appeared suddenly to them and gave them water, showing them the way to the nearest well. She wore an unusual necklace made of small pendants of geometric designs. After saving the men of the caravan from certain death, she disappeared into the night, as suddenly as she appeared to them. When they reached Agadez, the men of the caravan told the miraculous story of their rescue by this mysterious young woman, and an artisan created this necklace to commemorate this event. He called it Celebra, the jeweler creates a moon shape made of small pendants upon which he finely engraved symbols of the universe, of the desert, and the world of Nomads; stars, dunes, trails, and encampment sites. The Celebra jewel carries the memories of trail days and caravan routes through the desert, and night travel guided by stars.
