Rhinestone, cubic zirconia, plated brass: what bridal jewellery is made of
What the Algerian trade means by fontizi and blakiour, how a glass rhinestone differs from lab-grown cubic zirconia, and why plated pieces carry no hallmark.
Loading…
The journal
What the trade already knows and nobody writes down: matching jewellery to the chedda or the karakou, what the machta carries, how long to allow before the date. One article per question that matters, not a feed.
Algerian bridal jewellery names: mahzma, khelkhal, meskia, skhab
One object, three names that share no letters: the trade word, the Arabic spelling and the shop name for every piece of the Algerian bride’s parure.
Chair sash or chair cover: what to buy for an Algerian bride's seat
The hall may already have the covers. The sash, the backdrop and the light are yours to buy — and the sash is the one piece of fabric whose tone you choose.
How many wedding favours per guest: a hundred organza bags for one night
Favours go round during the tasdira, hand to hand or from a siniya. Bags come by the hundred and boxes by ten — how to turn a guest count into an order that fits.
Algerian wedding siniya: which station, which tray, which mefrech
Four words for what looks like one object, five stations across one night, and the cloth that goes down before the tray. Which goes where, and when.
The jhaz without a crease: carrying and storing a wedding dress
Five outfits, one car, two salons: where the weight of a karakou actually goes, what a garment bag has to measure, and why the parure never travels with the hairpins.
A machta's list: what she restocks, and what she keeps
A working list for the machta, not the bride: what comes back from every wedding, what leaves with the guests, and the pack sizes that make one night add up.
Hairspray, perfume, then the jewellery: the order of the evening
Perfume and hairspray go on before the jewellery, never after. The full running order of a tasdira night, from the chignon to the earrings.
Khit errouh, âassaba, taâssabt, tikka: which forehead jewel for which outfit
Many names, two objects. One family of jewels spans the width of the brow; the tikka sits on the parting. Position decides which you need, not region.
How many dresses does an Algerian bride wear? The tasdira, change by change
Five to seven outfits according to the Algerian press, one or two for many brides since Covid, and a jewel for each: what goes on at every change — forehead, waist, ankles, hair.