Tuareg silver amulets can be an exotic addition to your jewelry designs. The Tuareg are a nomadic tribe of herders from Northern Africa, specifically the Sahara Desert [1]. They are famous for their jewelry and consider silver to be blessed and gold to be cursed [2](COPYRIGHT: I'm so sorry to have to put this here, but I've had trouble with online content theft. Readers are welcome to print my articles for their personal use, but I do not allow my text or photos to be copied to anyone's online site. No one may use my content without written permission from me.)
The Tuareg cross has no Christian symbolism since the Tuareg are Muslim. I have read somewhere (and I'm sorry that I can't find the reference) that the cross design is in reference to the four directions of north, south, east, and west. Perhaps wearing a Tuareg cross amulet is supposed to make one conscious of his place in the universe with all the horizons around him, but that's just a guess on my part. In times past, the amulets were passed down from father to son and considered powerful talismans of protection [3].
As you can see from the photo of my Tuareg cross, it is ornate and pairs well with black, white, or silver beads. The Tuareg amulets are not delicate or dainty, and probably work best as the focal point of a necklace, or possibly as earrings. They should delight women (or men) who like dramatic tribal-type jewelry.
I have seen much variation in Tuareg crosses. Some look like interlocking triangles, or ankhs, or keys, or even stylized human figures. They feature lines, circles, and abstract patterns. Some amulets include blue enamel. I have even seen some Tuareg-style crosses fashioned in gold, but that is not traditional and looks strange, in my opinion.
Fortunately, Tuareg crosses, once hard to find, are now all over the place on eBay and can be bought from anywhere between fifteen dollars and one hundred and fifty dollars, depending upon size and intricacy of the silver-smithing. They look good on leather thongs, on silver chains, paired with strands of small beads as in the photo, mixed with big wooden or faux ivory beads, or incorporated into chokers or collars.
References:
1. Tuareg People, from Wikipedia, retrieved at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuareg_people 1/19/2012
2. Beads An Exploration of Bead Traditions around the World by Janet Coles and Robert Budwig. ISBN 0684834626, page 50.
3. ibid
