An original oil painting size 18x24 titled 'The twelve points on her wrist' inspired by the Moroccan jewellery made of a cast silver alloy, the most intriguing probably is the “bracelet à douze pointes” of the Aït Atta. The twelve-pointed sun (the middle part) is never actually worn alone. It consists of twelve large star-shaped protrusions of heavy silver with a slender sleeve on either side of the sun. On both sides this middle band is covered by two other heavy silver bracelets often decorated with wavy ribs sporting a chiselled and niello drawing. Leather sheets and thick sheep grease hold the three bracelets tightly together and prevent the skin of the woman’s arms from becoming trapped and damaged. The entire bracelet weighs as much as 1.35 kilos. Aïsha wears one on each wrist. Almost three kilos heavy, but she does not seem to notice. She wears them all day. A wealth of silver on both her wrists.

Daily wear
Few people know how this bracelet is actually used. It is part of the daily wear. It is worn when pasturing the cattle, milking the goats, spinning wool, preparing the meal, washing the clothes and dressing. It is, apart from what we call “wearable wealth”, an ordinary everyday object that serves as a self-defence weapon. It is the most pronounced form of a “bracelet d’auto-défense et de combat” of the Aït Atta in these regions of Morocco. A blow of this 1.35 kg bracelet and every attacker will suffer severe damage. The women in the Ait Atta habitat had ample reason to be on their guard. In earlier times of rivalry and tribal conflicts, and successive foreign invasions, women were a target, a prey for the enemy. They were attacked and even kidnapped as booty to be sold into slavery. Thus, for self-defense, the “bracelet à douze pointes” of the Aït Atta is of inestimable value