Antique Turkoman Silver Pendant Asik Ersari Tribal Design

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Antique silver Turkoman pendant. A certain cut of the gemstone is characteristic of the Ersari tribe of 1900, according to Dieter and Reinhold Schlechter, Old Silver Jewelry of the Turkoman.

You can still see the worn circular tracings along the raised section markers. The carnelian in the center is irregular, slightly domed but baroque on its surface. The red gemstones or glass? are incised with the crescent moon and stars.

These probably represent Moslem symbols, as the Turkoman people were not moon worshippers according to the history recorded by Messrs. Schlechter. The Turkoman honored ancestors, the mountains which were their original homeland, and the family.

To the Turkoman the shape of the jewelry suggests a part of the female anatomy. It is a symbol for a woman to wear.

This piece was collected in Afghanistan. The Ersari live in the northern regions of Afghanistan might wear such a piece of jewelry.

The piece is large, measuring 8.3 inches long and 5.5 inches wide