The Foreign Service Journal, September 2014

76 SEPTEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Documenting a Vanishing Art Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Regional Styles of Yemeni Jewelry Marjorie Ransom, The American University in Cairo Press, 2014, $49.50, hardcover, 246 pages. Reviewed by Andrea Rugh Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba is the first book ever written about the silver jewelry of Yemen, showing the rare diversity and exceptional skills of crafts- men in this small country nestled at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Not only does the book document a disappearing art; it gives us a sense of the craftspeople who produced the jewelry and the Yemeni women who wore it. Anyone familiar with the region or the craft will appreciate the spectacular contribution the book makes to preserv- ing and documenting the heritage of this little-known part of the world. Without exaggeration, this book is the culmina- tion of about as perfect a match of author and content as comes along in the pub- lishing world. Retired FSO Marjorie Ransom car- ried out years of research to produce Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba , including several trips to the country between 2004 and 2009. While there, she lived in the silver market of old Sanaa part of the time. Venturing out with a trusted driver, Venturing out with a trusted driver, she also traveled to different parts of Yemen, from the mountainous regions of the north to the remote oases of the southeast, to seek out the elderly Yemeni artisans who alone could tell the story of this dying art form. BOOKS she also traveled to different parts of the country, from the mountainous regions of the north to the remote oases of the southeast, to seek out the elderly Yemeni artisans who alone could tell the story of this dying art form. Along the way, she was passed almost literally from silversmith to silversmith and from woman to woman, each show- ing her their personal pieces of jewelry and contributing to the recorded history of this unique craft. The difficult and diverse terrain gives an idea of the difficulties silversmiths faced in marketing their wares and acquiring the resources they needed to pursue their art. Robert Liu’s exquisite photographs illustrate in beautiful detail the signature aspects of each silver- smith’s work. In its layout, content and comprehen- siveness, the book is worthy of the craft it explores. Most of the pieces have never appeared before in print. Adding depth and poignancy are the stories of the Yemenis and the generosity they showed the author. Typically, museum catalog- ing of lost art does not involve such close attention to context and the human beings that produced it. It is hard to overemphasize the ardu- ousness of this kind of research—the physical difficulty of traveling where roads are often no more than tracks; where public sleeping accommodations are usually not available; where foreigners may be kidnapped by local tribes to make a point with the government; and, perhaps most important of all, where distrust of outsiders has to be overcome. To undertake it, one must, like Ran- som, have trust in the natural hospital- ity and generosity of the local people, as well as the ability to disarm their suspicions with appropriate documents and explanations. One part of this is, of course, to conduct oneself through dress, etiquette and mannerisms in ways local people understand. The author joined the Foreign Service in 1962, but had to resign when she mar- ried David Ransom, another FSO. Their first post was Yemen (1966-1967), when that country was relatively untouched and it was possible to become deeply involved with the local people. She returned to the Foreign Service in 1974; and they again served in Yemen (1975- 1978), as the first State Department tandem couple in the Arab world. In 1999 Mrs. Ransom was nominated to become ambassador to Yemen, but was one of 26 FSOs denied a confirma- tion hearing by Senate Foreign Rela- tions Committee Chairman Jesse Helms (R-NC). Her retirement in 2000 and the unexpected death of her husband prompted her to apply for a grant from the American Institute of Yemeni Studies to research Yemeni jewelry. It was the beginning of an extraordi- nary journey, where her incomparable knowledge of the language and coun- try, and her persistence in the face of so many obstacles, led to this striking