Silver kamea from Yemen

The kamea ('amulet') is a protective object intended to ward off the evil eye, illness, or harmful spirits, containing or engraved with divine names, biblical verses, and permuted formulae. It often takes the form of a cylindrical case enclosing a written parchment, or a plaque to be suspended or worn on the body. Yemenite Jewish silversmithing, renowned throughout the Muslim world, adorns it with dense silver filigree and very fine granulation, techniques transmitted from generation to generation among Jewish craftsmen. These amulets belong to a popular culture of protection, while drawing on a specifically Jewish repertoire of names and verses.