The Ransom collection contains over 2,000 works from the Middle East and features artifacts from Bedouin and tribal people of Yemen, as well as examples of its finely crafted urban jewelry. Mrs. Ransom spent time in Yemen focusing on the work of traditional silversmiths, traveling to remote Yemeni regions to interview more than 40 silversmiths and their families, and later interviewing Yemeni immigrants in Israel and Brooklyn.
David and Marjorie Ransom Collection of Yemeni Jewelry
Much of the research focuses on the role of jewelry in the marriage contract and as a sign of wealth and security for women in Yemen. A book written concerning this collection, Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Regional Jewelry, dives deep into traditional silversmithing in the different regions of Yemen and details the specific cultural context of when and how the jewelry would be typically worn.