Tekke Turkmen Silver and Carnelian Asyk

$ 385.00

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Tekke Turkmen Silver and Carnelian Asyk
Measures approx. 3 1/2" x 2 3/4"
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