Tribal Bazaar – Ethnographic Jewelry Supplier

I thought I would take a moment to share one of my favorite sources for Central Asian jewelry components, Tribal Bazaar.  I’ve been a fan of Tribal Bazaar for many years.  I’ve been shopping for their products since back before the turn of the century!  I use their components for the ethnic-fusion costumes and assemblage jewelry that I design and make for myself, and my clients here in Northern California.

Shopping The Tribal Bazaar Booth

Back in the heyday of belly dance festivals, Tribal Bazaar circled through my community sharing their wares at such classic events as Rakkasah West and Tribal Fest.  

I enjoyed chatting with the lovely Yasamin, a fantastic belly dance costume designer and fellow lover of assiut cloth. I would spend hours circling their booth. Imagine me, basket in hand, picking and choosing.

I would start shopping at the Tribal Bazaar booth on the first day of the event.  I would get a basket, and start with the complete jewelry pieces.

Then, throughout the event, I would circle back every few hours to see how the booth displays evolved. My basket would slowly fill up as I added things with each pass. Before the show ended, I would swing by and purchase my pieces and head home with a big smile on my face and brimming with plans for projects.

Jewelry Treasure Boxes

These days, I’m still shopping with Tribal Bazaar via their online store.  Their jewelry has been sourced from all along the Silk Road. If you visit their website, you will find both ready-made necklaces, earrings, bracelets, belts, and more. 

My most recent purchase is one of their “Treasure Boxes.”  I named my price, (I think her current base price is $50,) and a rough “wishlist” and Yasemin went into her collection and pulled the bag you see at the right. She popped it into a flat-rate USPS box, and it arrived within the week.

Bits and Pieces, Pendants and Coins

The result? I’ve got enough bits and pieces, pendants and coins to make my signature assemblage Jean Jinglers. I spread them out for you to see the kind of an assortment of glass and stones mounted into jewelry and on coins. 

As I sorted through this treasure bag I laid all the pieces out. I was happy to find a few damaged and broken necklaces that I was able to quickly fix and repair.  This hamsa necklace just needed a wash and a swap-out of four corroded coins. And I harvested the replacement coins from the bag. 

Is a Tribal Bazaar Treasure Box right for you? 

If you are looking for ready-to-wear earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, I recommend shopping directly from the Tribal Bazaar website.  

This box is good for anyone who makes jewelry or costumes. You will need a good set of jewelry-making tools to further disassemble the pieces and parts to their smallest components. 

Once the pieces are disassembled, I like to give the pieces a good wash. In my studio, I use Dawn dish soap and an old toothbrush to clean the parts.  Then, I place them on an old towel to dry. Before I store the pieces, I use a jewelry polishing cloth to get a good shine on some of these pieces.  Then I sort and organize the pieces in labeled bins so I can easily find them.

Now I’m going to go into my studio and make
a few assemblage-style jean jinglers!
Best of luck in all of your dancing and costuming adventures,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
February 16, 2022.