This unusual item is a fertility pendant made by the Ait Haddidou tribe of the eastern High Atlas Mountains of Morocco in the 1960s. This moulded and chiselled pendant is known as the ‘portal of life’. It is a fertility pendant and depicts the meeting of the male ‘seed’ with the female ‘flower’ via a window or gateway as represented by the shape of the pendant. The trefoil emblems on three sides of the pendant represent the feet of pigeons, which are believed in Amazigh (Berber) culture to carry babies through the portal. This is a very old example with a glass bead. Genuine old pieces such as this one are now increasingly difficult to find in Morocco. Collectible.

References:

Rabaté, M. (2013). Les Fibules. Paris-La Défense: ACR éd. p. 127.

Draguet, M. and Merode, N., 2020. Berber Memories. Yale University Press, p. 59.

Rabaté, M. (2015). Bijoux du Maroc. ACR, Paris-Là Défense. p. 146