Turkmen Asyk Heart/Cordiform Pendant 1

$ 2,800.00

  • Turkmen "ASYK" Heart Cordiform Pendant 
  • Approx. 10" long x 5 1/2" wide
  • 80% or higher hammered and stamped silver 
  • Antique and vintage Tribal Heirlooms were often made of melted colonial high silver content coins and rarely marked or hallmarked.
  • Worn by the Turkmen People of Central Asia, Asyk Pendants were usually Incorporated in braided hair by use of plaits, or larger Asyk were worn as a back or pectoral ornament.
  • Having many sizes and decorative styles, uniformly they appear as a symbol which to the Western eye is a heart. It is possible the Asyk also represented the protective head of a spear. The exact historical significance of the symbol significance is lost in time.
  • Different tribal groups in the region adorn their Asyk by using different techniques.
  • Groups in Northern Afghanistan created unadorned silver pieces without etching or gold fire gilding. Their Asyk include the orange Carnelian cabochons, which are also seen in all other regional styles. 
  • Tekke Turkmen Asyk feature intricate engraving and gilding surrounding the Carnelian cabochons.
  • Yomut Turkmen Asyk feature fire gilded applied shapes and symbols. Often diamond shaped with dotted granulation, circles and crescents are most often represented.
  • Asyk size and weight can vary greatly, which would be in relation to the status or wealth of a Turkmen family. 
  • Origin is Afghanistan collected in the 1970's