(B) Antique Silver Mauritanian Tuareg Cross Charm Hair Bead Ring

Description

A really nice antique Mauritanian Tuareg "cross" - these originally were passed from father to son but in recent years women have been wearing them too.  Smaller versions are worn in the hair as adornment.  The Tuaregs believe that gold has evil qualities and they therefore wear silver.  The more citified Tuaregs now a days recognize the value of gold in the trading market so they will buy, keep and sell gold coins  - but still, in the more remote places, silver hold the precious and protective qualities.
This is a very old piece, well worn and embellish with red glass, red being the color of life like blood. It has been hand incised with traditional Tuareg geometric designs which are meant as a guide to surviving the elements - the zig zap patterns reminds the wearer that during times of famine to look for the zigzag path of ants which leads to a store of millet- a staple in their diet. The slanted cross hatching represents the wind that blows across the desert and to walk in a diagonal path to prevent the sand from blowing into your face.
the small circles represent the jackals and remind the wearer to keep a look out for jackal eyes who want to eat their precious goats . So basically, this ring has a message written in symbols from a father to a son, "Son, if ever there is famine, look for the zigzag patterns of ants and there you will find a store of millet, when the desert winds blow remember to walk in a diagonal to avoid getting the sand in everything, and keep an eye of jackals that always have an eye on any goats you might have.