Silver & Carnelian Turkman Hollow Tube Necklace

Lovely vintage pendant from the nomadic Turkman peoples of Central Asia.  Like many of us, this gorgeous pendant has some scrapes and dings, which is not surprising since this piece is made of this silver and probably dates to the early 20th century.   

This pendant is vintage silver metal (likely a mix of silver and non-silver) and carnelian stones.  It measures 6 inches wide and about 3 inches tall.  The pendant is about 1 inch thick.  One end of the pendant comes off, which allows for the insertion of prayers or other talismans, consistent with the Islamic beliefs of the Turkman peoples.  It weighs just shy of 100 grams. 

Note that the pendant is on a nice 26 inch braided cord, but would need to be tied since it does not have a clasp.  The pendant also has a little jingle, like there are some small stones in the hollow part of the pendant.  Not sure whether this has cultural significanceor is just an oddity of this particular piece.         

The carnelian stones are in okay shape.  The largest stone has a clear portion that may be a repair or could just be natural variability in the quality of the stone.  One of the smaller stones has a hairline fracture.  Carnelian stones were believed to protect the wearer from illness and death and the stones on this piece appear original and in very good condition.   

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has an excellent history of the Turkman peoples and the role of jewelry in the culture of these Central Asian nomads:

Although nominally Sunni Muslim, the Turkmen kept many of their pre-Islamic customs and beliefs, which were often embodied in the jewelry they made and wore. Turkmen silver jewelry carried deep symbolic meanings and often marked an individual’s passage from one stage of life to another. From a very early age, a woman started wearing jewelry whose shapes and materials were believed to ensure her ability to bear healthy children later in life. The amount of embellishments a girl wore increased as she approached marriageable age. Once she had had her first children, and her fertility had been established, the amount of jewelry she received and wore decreased. In addition, silver jewelry believed to ward off evil and illness was worn by men, women, and especially by children.

Jewelry was a significant financial investment, as it was handcrafted from precious materials. There were cases when, in times of dire need, a woman would part with her jewelry in order to help the survival of the tribe. Significant in size and weight, Turkmen jewelry objects were made of silver, decorated with semi-precious stones, and sometimes gilded for an added color effect and value.

The Met explains that "Pieces of carnelian, a bright red colored stone, are popular because they are believed to protect the wearers from illness and death."