Photos

Comments

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  Cecilia January 4, 2014 at 9:10pm

  On closer examination the center part might be a piece of thick leather.
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  Toya January 4, 2014 at 11:19pm

  I can't help other than to say that it has a very old and mysterious quality. I like it.
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  Alaa eddine SAGID January 5, 2014 at 12:27am

  could it be that the triangle was originally a box of which the lid went missing?

  chains are classical south eastern moroccan ones in the way the links are made!!  very mysterious indeed!!
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  Cecilia January 5, 2014 at 11:10am

  Thank you both Toya and Alaa Eddine Sagid, a mysterious quality indeed. I'm very fond of it. Your idea about a missing lid is interesting but it must have gone missing long ago in that case as the patina suggests it has looked like this for a very long time. This type of chain is also used in Central Asia, on Kuchi jewellery for instance.
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  Thelma January 5, 2014 at 3:54pm

   I agree with Alaa, Cecilia. I think this is the back and the contents of an amulet for a woman (the triangular shape). It is probably Turkoman (Ersari) from northern Afghanistan. I'll try to upload a photo of a more complicated Ersari piece here but you'll notice the triangle with the twisted wire decoration, and the triangular pendants on the dangles. This photo is from the Schlezter's Old Silver Jewellery of the Turkoman. You can even imagine what the missing front of the pendant looked like!
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  Cecilia January 5, 2014 at 5:20pm

  Thank you Thelma. The twisted wire decoration matches very well, as does the Turkoman origin, considering where it was found. Always nice to get more context.