Yemeni Black Coral Beads, Inlaid with Silver and Turquoise, Tesbih - Prayer Strand - Rita Okrent Collection (ANT828)

Lovely old Yemeni black coral beads from an Islamic tesbih/prayer strand. From the Red Sea region; Yemen / Arabian Peninsula. Strand is adorned with metal beads and faux coral glass beads. Beads themselves have silver, shell and turqouise inlay. 38 beads plus black coral pendant / imam bead and glass beads adorning it.32 oval beads plus 2 small black coral disk beads.

Estimated circa mid 1900s. In excellent condition as they were set aside in an old collection. Perfect for your jewelry designs.

Beads range in size from 10.5-12.5mm (hole to hole). 16 inches of beads. not counting imam bead and surrounding beads.  23.2  grams.

From Wikipedia:
In Islam, prayer beads are referred to as Misbaha (Arabic: مسبحة mas'baha ), Tasbih or Sibha and contain 99 normal-sized beads, (corresponding to the Names of God in Islam) and two smaller or mini beads separating every 33 beads. Sometimes only 33 beads are used, in which case one would cycle through them three times. The beads are traditionally used to keep count while saying the prayer. The prayer is considered a form of dhikr that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences in the praise and glorification of Allah, in Islam. The prayer is recited as follows: 33 times "Subhan Allah" (Glory be to God), 33 times "Al-hamdu lilah" (Praise be to God), and 33 times "Allahu Akbar" (God is the greatest) which equals 99, the number of beads in the misbaha.

To keep track of counting either the phalanges of the right hand or a misbaha is used. Use of the misbaha to count prayers and recitations is considered an acceptable practice within mainstream Islam.[17] While they are widely used today in Sunni and Shia Islam, adherents of the Salafi sects shun them as an intolerable innovation.

Antique and Vintage Item 828