Hi Jamey and others,
Though itīs surely none of my business, what Jamey "darn LOVES" and comments on, nevertheless I wonder on his degree of irnony in this post. Sonce Jamey is know to be "darn serious" more often than not, I wonder if he - like me in another field *** - has a bizarre appreciation for mass-made specimen of the odd kind. Maybe he meant, itīs incredible what some people take for real and simply finds it funny, what some individuals collect.

Maybe weīll never know what Jamey meant. And appreciates. But this is clear as day. He will defend his statement, now that I start doubting if itīs true, that he is without irnony.

Let me ask you this: what do you think it means, when s/trolling through the Souks of Marrakech, and every single of the 300-500 touri-shop in town (easily detectable as those stores, with either one or two guys sitting outside in the walkway, on a little stool, either asking bypassers one stereotypical question, or, depending on mood and day, issue a statement-of-certainty. The first one consists of a single word and goes like this, if you dare to lay one eye on the coloful ceramics from "Safi": "Germany....?" The other one, for those expected to be cheated already that day, plays the naive card and sounds: "Warm welcome to Morocco, my friend!"

Nobody on "Marrakech-visit-day-2" calling an IQ over Ourika-river water temperature itīs own, feels responding to such mantras are a good choice - most prepare running, when hearing the word "warm" - nobody, not even Japanese-in-groups (excuse the oxymoron) following another Japanese holding an erected shield reading "follow me", would seriously assume to step into such a tourist-trap to have the offered thé-ala-mint - "Moroccan Wiskey, hihihi....".

If this incomplete, but damn true desciption, speaks of a place you would not want to do your holiday-shopping - compliment - you bet that were a wise descision.

This shop is the VERY place, where the pieces in this post come from.
This store or one of his 300-500 partner-shops in town. All of them have such,.... "crosses" ("khmar"), pinned on their walls, often strung on cheap silver-chains from Thailand or India. All in such stores is rubbish, ANY...... SINGLE...... PIECE!!! Mass-made in Tiznit once, meanwhile many artisans moved to Marrakech. More tourists! Easier sales! More money! 5 kids to feet!

It is a development when the poster smells himself, his pieces might be new. Thatīs one step ahead.

quote: "..hope you have had some fun with the images". What fun might this be? "Pictures-of-Lilly" kind of fun...? I cannot even imagine the sense of putting such items on this site. What for? Leave alone their quality (bad too, by the way) and age, even their collectibility. What a sheer picture might be good for? What is the sense of the rarest bead or the most ordinairy piece of imitation-jewelry, when it comes out of a context? Just show it - no questions asked? Like that....? There is no hint to the makers (and it were damn-interesting to learn something on the makers, their euipment and motivation --- even of the newest pieces). Youīre (all) so absolutely right, when saying "itīs more than just old and new", but you donīt seem to have a clue, why this is so.
Most, it seems, do not only do not ask questions. They just DO NOT HAVE any. There are so many different "schools" involved in making such pieces (enemel jewelry is meant as an example)and they could be compared to the "real thing" to see what has changed and find out why. Only specific pieces are imitated. Why is that so? Why certain kind of tourists are intrerested to wear pieces, which are seemingly not from the cultural inviroment. Why that? I do not want to continue - too many questions could be asked. Too many question are asked by those being really interested, really devoted to a country and itīs artistic expression. Everyone must find his own questions, in order to be able to have a discussion, and finally answers on them. Any of this is 1001 times more promising and interesting than, usually in a totally ignorant fashion, showing the most costly bead or jewelry. All of them are lonely, absolutely speechless and mute, tell and reveal nothing of the past. What the heck does it mean, who the hells cares of any "recent arrival from Mali?"

I just do not understand this kind of approach for those calling themselves collectors. Any you call me....arrogant? What is my option, can you please tell? Yes, indeed, more often than not - as my number of absent-days confirm - many of you leave me wondering and in a mood of mixed emotions. To waste the wonderful opportunity, this website offers, is a disgrace to the idea of collecting, in my opinion. Collecting is not just buying and possessing, leave alone dealing, selling, making money with a cultural heritage we Westerners can often only dream about. Collecting means searching for answers. Beauty is surely not the only message this pieces transmit. Nore is it their price, not even age, depending on the kind of questions one wants to ask. Having no questions at all - nobody needs to have all answers - is the real desaster of collecting and the main problem of this site. Donīt you find it sad, even tragic, when knowledgable guys like Kirk were sent to Elba? Underground-rhetoric can show a variety of faces and tones. I feel offended - to finish my point and this post - being asked if I had "fun with the images", certainly when pointlessly confronted with the canon mass made touri-pieces.

My grandfather used to say, when I felt shy to answer his questions, "donīt worry, boy, there are no stupid answers - just stupid questions!"

What might he says if I could tell him out there were people, with no questions at all...?

Knowing him, I assume: "better stupid questions, than!"

VARA!