Islamic coins: Sand casting

Figure3.18 - Adams, Z., (2019). Zikr Umla. Brass and copper sand cast coins.

For the technique of sand-casting, I made multiple coins in brass, copper and gilding metal. Sand-casting is a type of casting I had not tried before, but hearing about the process and outcome made me curious to try it. I thought that the mold, being made of sand, would leave a sand-like texture to the surface of the object that is cast, which I would like to see on the coins.

Sand casting is quite a quick but messy process, considering that from start to finish, one could cast an object in under an hour. For sand casting, I used the following items: Casting sand, a two-part aluminum flask, a wooden dowel, a cement scraper, a 7mm drill bit, and a board to work on (see figure 3.19). The method of sand casting essentially involves creating a mold of your piece in casting sand that is well compressed by packing it using the wooden dowel, then creating a channel with the drill bit for the metal to flow to the piece and then proceeding to cast.

Figure 3.19 - Adams, Z., (2019). Sand casting equipment.

The result was beautiful. I was very happy with the way the coins had cast. The coins have the effect I was trying to achieve which is to look old and slightly damaged because of years of use. Some coins did not cast fully, because my metal was not melted correctly. These coins I found even more interesting because they look like very old coins that have pieces broken off. One word I could use to describe these and the other sand-cast coins is "relic".

Bedouin Jewellery

Figure 1.9 - Florian, H.,(1978) Bedouin silver jewellery with coins and amber beads

Bedouin jewellery is the jewellery made by the people from the nomadic tribe in the middle east and Saudi Arabia. Bedouin jewellery is predominantly made from silver but can also be found in gold or brass. Bedouin jewellery is typically large and dramatic, showing off elements like chains, bells, coins (known in Arabic as Umla), wire-work, hollowed elements and metal beads (see figure 1.9). Traditional Bedouin jewellery is made by hand using basic tools and equipment. 

There is also a variety of precious-stone beads and cabochons, that are obtained from mining and trading. The stones are simple cuts of gemstones such as turquoise, amber and carnelian, coral, agate, and pearls (Colyer Ross 1978:21).

Figure 1.10 - Florian, H.,(1978) Iqd (necklace). Bedouin silver necklace with hemp tie.

Some pieces make use of textiles such as cloth which is used for necklace backings and hemp tie as seen in figure 1.10. It is noticeable that not much attention was paid to precision as most pieces show off imperfections (Colyer Ross 1978: 66-87).

Hand-made items were highly sought after among the Bedouin people and jewellers used basic ancient silversmith tools and techniques to make jewellery by hand (Colyer Ross 1978:63). After doing some research on the Bedouin lifestyle, I think that the jewellery having slight imperfections showed that it was in fact hand made and not a cast or mass-produced item. 

Functions of Bedouin jewellery include indication of status in society, redeemable wealth/insurance and some pieces are related to spiritual mediation and protection against evil.