Turkmen Asyk Heart/Cordiform Pendant on Sale

Turkmen Asyk Heart/Cordiform Pendant

• 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