Kuwait · Metalwork / Blacksmithing (jewelry-making)
Syaqah (the jewelry-crafting trade)
The crafting of gold and silver jewelry known as Syaqah, a long-established trade among Kuwaiti women, historically practiced and passed down as a family-based craft and business. Gold, silver, and platinum were historically imported from nearby countries, particularly India, and set alongside pearls, precious stones, and beads chosen according to the wearer's age and means. Kuwaiti jewelry is made almost exclusively for women, a consequence of the Islamic prohibition on men wearing gold, and pieces span a genuinely comprehensive range of body placements — head, neck, ears, chest, waist, fingers, and feet — reflecting a fully developed decorative tradition. Several historic Kuwaiti families are directly associated with the trade, some taking their family name from it, and the craft continues today through Kuwait's craft associations and independent goldsmiths.
Risk level: Endangered · Not independently inscribed
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