Gold is central to a Comorian Grand Mariage: the jewellery is shown to family and guests before it is given to the bride. This guide lists the families of pieces in our Comorian catalogue, with their names and weights, to help you plan an order.
Gold in the Grand Mariage
The Grand Mariage (anda) gives those who complete it a recognised standing in their community. The dowry, the mahari, includes sets of gold jewellery that are displayed and then handed to the bride. Many weddings are held in July and August, when the diaspora living in France travels home.
Which pieces to give, and how heavy, is decided by each family and village, and customs differ from island to island. We do not say what should be given. We show what we make and sell, under the names our customers use.
The families of pieces and their weights
The weights below are those of the pieces in our catalogue. All our Comorian jewellery is 21K gold.
| Family | What it is | Weights in our catalogue |
|---|---|---|
| Ensemble | Matching set built around a necklace and earrings | about 5 g to 47 g; many between 20 g and 30 g |
| Djermane | Necklace of gold pieces mounted on a cord, with matching earrings; large designs come in 22 or 24 lines | 23 g to 45.5 g |
| Kidani | Necklace, with or without a pendant | 19.8 g to 52 g |
| Tourousse | Necklace in 2 or 3 rows | 29.5 g to 85 g |
| Hara | Sold by its number of lines: 10, 14, 18, 22 or 24 | depends on the number of lines |
| Tadj | Traditional piece | about 30 g |
| Mbou | Traditional piece | 23 g to 25 g |
| Mbamba | Traditional piece | 14 g to 18 g |
| Yikowa Chamaya | Traditional piece | 23 g to 26 g |
| Valisouf | Traditional piece | 9 g to 10 g |
| Paouni bracelet | Paouni-type bracelet | about 32 g |
| Rings | Djougou, Tedjevé, "gâteau" ring, stone-set rings, wedding band | 2.2 g to 9.5 g |
The catalogue also includes the kéké, feleke, peyen and name necklaces. Every photo, with the weight of each piece, is on our Comorian jewellery page.
Working out a budget
The price of a piece depends first on its weight: grams multiplied by the day's 21K gold rate, plus the making charge, plus 5% UAE VAT. Add up the weights of the pieces you want to get the total gold weight of your order, which makes up most of the budget. Our guide to gold price, making charge and VAT shows the arithmetic.
Ordering in time
- Several months before the wedding, send us the designs or the total weight you are aiming for on WhatsApp.
- We reply with photos, the weight of each piece and the day's price.
- A 50% deposit locks in the day's gold rate.
- The making time and the terms for the balance and delivery are confirmed in writing before the order.
For a design that is not in the showroom, we make custom pieces to order.