When Jewelry Was Currency

Aya Omrani
Sep 29
1 min read

Updated: Oct 6

Close-up of Tunisian gold jewelry — rings, bracelets, and pendants arranged on a white surface, symbolizing wealth, tradition, and family security.

Most people think of jewelry as decoration. In Tunisia, it was a financial system.

Savings You Could Hold

Women didn’t always wear their gold and silver. Some pieces were displayed on special days, many were locked away in chests. But all of it had one role: protection. Jewelry was savings you could touch; a necklace, a belt, a bracelet that grew in value with time.

Women’s System of Security

Long before banks reached villages, Tunisian women built their own. A dowry wasn’t excess; it was insurance. Jewelry could pay for a child’s education, help in years of bad harvest, or cover mistakes a husband might make. Gold and silver weren’t accessories. They were the structure that kept families steady.

The Logic of Metals

Silver carried daily life; earrings, anklets, pieces reshaped or traded as needed. Gold was different. It was the currency of emergencies: instantly recognized, instantly liquid. A universal trust in metal.

Continuity Across Generations

Each piece was more than wealth. It was memory passed on, a quiet agreement between generations: to protect, to provide, to endure. Jewelry in Tunisia still carries that logic. It shines, yes, but more importantly, it holds.