Jewelry

Necklaces

Cabaret

Collar Necklaces

There are various types of collar necklaces, The cabaret

type however are usually made with seed beads the one

shown here on the right and left are ones I acquired in

Guatemala, however the designs on it seemed, to me,

to be very Egyptian looking. The one on the left is more

of a contemporary design.

Bib Necklaces

Bib necklaces are often very popular with Middle

Eastern Dancers. They often have fringe or jingly things

that move well or make noise when you shake. They

also spread color to the neck causing a more even

balanced effect to your costume. If your costume is

rather plain it also helps to "jazz" it up a little.

Chokers

Chokers are great to wear with really "busy" costumes

because they generally don't have a whole lot of

danglies or fancy designs and that allows them to add

color but not be distracting. There are a lot of great

designs and colors of chokers and they can also be

worn well with other necklaces.

Pendant Necklaces

Pendant necklaces are necklaces the have something

suspended on a chain. These are necklaces that work

well in dance as well as everyday life. You don't need to

go out and but expensive fancy jewelry just for dance

(although some of us do use that as an excuse to do it

anyways), you can use these everyday pieces. You

can wear them alone or with other necklaces. They

work great with chokers. I have four different examples

here for you to see. On the top left we have a simple

circular pendant suspended on a velvet cord, this

necklace could also fall under the choker category. Then

below it is a pendant made out of amethyst and silver

beads suspended on a very simple silver chain. Then on

the top right we have the ever-popular cartouche

suspended from a gold chain, and for those who are

wondering what it says... it says my name, Cassandra.

Then bellow that is a simple heart pendant made out of

a very rare stone, Purple Jade. And then another more

decorative Silver Heart Pendant on the bottom right.

Rhinestone and Jeweled Necklaces

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but Rhinestones

are definitely a dancers best friend. These are my

personal favorites when it comes to dancing. They

always catch the smallest amount of light and sparkle

during performances. They are amazing little pieces of

glass. I have many different types of necklaces but my

largest collection is my rhinestone collection. They go

with every color costume and almost every style. On

the top left is an Indian necklace. Right below it is a

necklace, which is an abalone shell, shaped like a heart

and surrounded by rhinestones. On the bottom left are

rhinestones connected together to form a "Y". On the

top right is a rhinestone necklace with a faux sapphire.

Directly below that is a rhinestone necklace, which

tapers down in a nice “V”, this one really move well

when you dance. On the bottom right is a simple

design inlaid with rhinestones. As you can see there a

large variety of Rhinestone jewelry pieces. Even the

simplest piece can be used. There are so many great

designs that can be utilized. Hopefully these examples

give you all sorts of new ideas for what to wear with your

costumes.

Fringe Necklaces

Fringed necklaces are great for dancing there are

increasingly more of there and the styles vary

immensely. On the top left are two that are made with

bead strands and leather strips I think they are stunning

pieces that you don't see everyday. On the bottom left

is another interesting piece, which is made with metal

beads that are formed into a rectangular shape with a

design in the middle using wire and suspended on chain

with dangling chain on the ends. On the Top right is an

example of a type of necklace, which is commonly used

with a cabaret "bedlah"(suit), if you want to make one

click here. Below that is a cute little necklace, which is

a chain fringe with, beads on the ends, it's a very

contemporary piece which works very well with the

dance. These are of course only a couple examples but

the possibilities are endless.

Tribal

Egyptian Collar Necklaces

These Necklaces are great tribal pieces. They are not

only very ethnic and authentic looking but beautiful as

well. The only problem is that they have become

increasingly more difficult to find. The ones that come

from Egypt now are made with large plastic beads

instead of realistic clay or faïence beads. In fact I have

never really seen a collar necklace made with the clay

beads, I hand made all of my collar necklaces.

Unfortunately the beads for making them can be hard to

find. In the one pictured to the right I used Scarab

Beetle beads, which I think add a nice touch.

Egyptian Bib Necklaces

The Egyptian bib necklaces are one of my personal

favorites for tribal dance. Like the collar necklaces the

are or were made with faïence or clay beads which

make it a great ethnic and authentic piece. Although

the collar necklaces are hard to find made out of clay

beads the bib necklaces are still fairly easy to find I have

been able to purchase them on several occasions, but I

still like to make my own. The one to the left is the first

bib necklace I made. Many times you will find bitty

bells or charms hanging from each opening.

Afghani and Pakistani Necklaces (sometimes called Kutchi)

These necklaces are probably the most common to

tribal dancers. They are beautiful pieces, which are

made by hand in Afghanistan and Pakistan often by the

nomads. They are often full of intricate metal work and

stones or glass almost always adorn them. There are

many types of these necklaces so it’s hard to go into

detail about them but I have included several pictures for

this type of necklace on both sides of this paragraph.

The ones on the right and the top left, I have been told,

are Afghani while the one on the bottom left is Pakistani.

All three of these are good and different examples of

"Kutchi" jewelry.

Indian Necklaces

Indian jewelry also makes good tribal wear. They have a

lot of nice beaded necklaces and some similar

necklaces to the Afghani and Pakistani necklaces, but

my favorite are the jingly coin necklaces, like the one to

the right. These are great for dance, their shiny, their

noisy, their pretty, and their ethnic. What more could

you ask for.

Shell, Bone, and Bead Necklaces

When your trying to put together a tribal or Renaissance

costume your jewelry should be things that are natural,

that were not really man made as much as earth made.

What I mean by that is... things like shells, bones,

natural wood, clay, and to a small degree metal beads.

A string of shells or natural beads makes a great accent

to a tribal costume. Just think when buying or making

jewelry "would people have had access to these types of

materials during the middle ages?" I say this because

many times the gigs that tribal dancers do are for

Renaissance Fairs, and you should try to look authentic

or "period" as they say. To the right is a necklace that

is made up of natural painted wood beads and a few

metal beads to accent the necklace.

Earrings

Caberet

Cabaret earrings can be many different styles, types, and

colors. Old costume jewelry works well. Often you will see

people wearing earrings that dangle, so they move well when

you dance or rhinestone/jeweled earrings, that catch the

stage lights and sparkle well you dance. I have several

examples of earrings I use with my cabaret costumes on both

the left and the right.

Tribal

Tribal earrings are very diverse in the styles, types, and

colors. Gypsies are often depicted with large hoop earrings

making them a classic with tribal dancers and renaissance

re-enactors. Earrings with coins are very popular also, there

are many pictures painted by the French orientlists, which

depict women with earrings that had coins or at least small

metal circles dangling from them. Any ethnic jewelry can be

utilized here. My favorite types are probably ones based on

ancient Egyptian designs.

Armbands

Caberet

Cabaret Armbands have a pretty standard look. They

generally look similar to the one on the right. You'll probably

see the one on the left often too. Sometimes the more tribal

looking armbands will even work with a cabaret costume.

Tribal

Tribal Armbands are more varied in their looks. In fact it's

more of an anything goes thing. Commonly you'll see

armbands made of coins, wire that's been bent and twisted

into shapes, and wire with coins and sometimes beads

dangling from them. But I have seen many other types.

Sometimes there are armbands made with shells, charms,

and many other unique items.

Bracelets and Cuffs

Caberet

Bracelets

Chain

Many people have a woven or twisted chain bracelet. These a very good for dancing and work with both cabaret and tribal costumes. You can wear one or several at a time. And they look very elegant.

Rhinestone

Rhinestone bracelets are one of my favorite things to wear because they catch a lot of light and sparkle as you dance. You can wear one or several at a time and are very elegant.

Beaded

Beaded bracelets are often easy to make or buy and work well with cabaret costumes. You can make them to match any costume and there are many different styles. I have made several beaded bracelets for dance.

Other

Here are some other bracelets commonly used in cabaret dances the one on the right is made with little metal circles that are linked together and has sequins attached the one end. On the left you'll see a charm bracelet that has little fish on it. It's not exactly a traditional type piece but those fish are just so cute and shiny. It catches light surprisingly well.

Cuffs

Metal

Metal Cuffs that are used in cabaret dance are generally more delicate than those used for tribal dance. They are often thinner and may have fancy designs on them.

Bead & Sequin

These beaded and sequined cuffs are probably the most common to Middle Eastern Dancers. Many costumes come with these pre-made specifically for the costume but they are also fairly easy to make. If you would like to learn how to make them click here. The picture to the right is just one example of this type of cuff bracelet; there are many other styles.

Tribal

Bracelets

Bangles

Bangles are great for tribal dance. They are traditional jewelry from India and have been used by women for centuries. Bangles are simple bracelets that are often just a plain piece of metal, possibly with a design stamped in it, as in the picture on the right. However, if you have access to any Indian shops, you can probably find some really fabulous pieces. For Mid-Western dancers a great resource is Devon St. in Chicago, Illinois; it's where I got the bangles on the left. Bangles can be worn one or two at a time but are usually worn in large numbers as in the picture.

Chain

Woven, Twisted and Specialty Chain bracelets are also good for tribal dance because they are pieces that could have been made before modern technology. They work for both cabaret and tribal dance and are very beautiful and elegant to wear.

Cuffs

Cloth

Cloth Cuffs are a nice piece for tribal dancers they can be very ornate or very simple. They are easy to wear and bring color down though the arms. These look very good with a Turkish Macedonian vest, especially if they’re made out of the same material.

Metal

Metal cuffs are probably one of my favorite things to wear for tribal costumes. They can be made with shells on them or just metal welded into an intricate pattern. The one on the right is an African cuff covered with cowrie shells.

Anklets

Caberet

Bead & Sequin

These are probably the most commonly seen anklets for

cabaret costumes. They generally come pre-made

specifically for your costume. If you would like to learn

how to make them click here. The ones shown here are

only a couple types of anklets, there are many more

styles out there.

Rhinestone

By now I'm sure everyone knows how much I love

rhinestones. Anklets with rhinestones are great for

catching light when your ankles show. There are many

different styles that you can wear, and I think the more

sparkles the better.

Beaded

Beaded anklets are easy to make and can go with any

costume you want, simply by choosing the beads to

match and creating it yourself. The one pictured here is

a simple design but, I have seen them much more

ornate and sometimes with fringe.

Tribal

Cloth

These simple anklets can add color to your ankles and

give something to catch the eye when your ankle peaks

out. They are comfortable to wear and easy to make. If

you would like to learn how to make one click here.

Chain

Chain anklets are great for tribal and cabaret dancers

they are simple and natural enough that they can be

used for tribal dance and shiny enough to be used for

cabaret dance.

Bitty Bell

Bitty bell anklets are probably my favorite anklets for

tribal dance. Not only do they have sparklies they also

make the cutest little tinkly sound when you walk. They

can be used almost as an instrument when you dance.

Belly Chains

Belly chains are used by some dancers to draw attention to the

stomach. I have never really cared for them but some dancers

wouldn't go on stage without them. I only own one, which is

pictured to the right. It is the typical design, a long chain with a

charm or jewel of some sort dangling from it. Both cabaret and

tribal dancers can use these but I've seen more cabaret dancers

utilize them then tribal dancers.

Hand Pieces

These Indian hand pieces are great for tribal dancers and make

hand undulations, flutters, and circles look great. They are a great

ethnic pieces, which have been around for centuries.

Tribal Add-On's

There are a lot of things that can be added onto a tribal costume.

Cloth fringe, charms, pendants, tassels, coins, etc. I have several

pictures of different things that get added onto tribal costumes.