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Comments

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  Thelma April 13, 2014 at 4:37pm

  This guljaka is 6.25 inches across, lightly gilded and engraved. Alas the alignment of the carnelians is slightly askew but I think that lends it authenticity and charm :)
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  Yvette April 13, 2014 at 5:14pm

  Very impressive piece, Thelma.
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  Betty April 13, 2014 at 7:04pm

  "Fruitcake" is a great term to describe this yummy guljaka. Very beautiful!

  It looks like two of the carnelians are cut differently than the rest. Do you think they may have been later replacements?
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  Thelma April 13, 2014 at 7:50pm

  Thanks Yvette and Betty. @Betty, Yes you are right. I think two of the carnelians have been replaced over the years. All the others are table cut and the two rounded ones stand out clearly from the rest.
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  Anna Garner April 13, 2014 at 9:04pm

  Fabulous find, Thelma!
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  Thelma April 13, 2014 at 10:19pm

  Thanks Anna. When I turned it over, I found something quite interesting at the back. I'll post a photo
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  Thelma April 13, 2014 at 10:29pm

  Even the little knob which fastens the button to the cloak is decorated ... It takes the form of a silver coin. You can see a lion with a sword in its 'hand' and a date which I think is 1221 in the Hijri calendar or 1806 in the Gregorian calendar. I think the coin is probably Persian. So the button might have come from somewhere where Persian coins were used in the nineteenth century.
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  Anna Garner April 14, 2014 at 7:11pm

  Since so much of the Tekke gilded silver and carnelian jewelry is found in Afghanistan -- once a part of Persia and still full of Persians -- I would guess the jewelry to have been made in the later part of the 1800s or early 1900s and the by then well worn coin to be used this way.  Just a guess, not authoritative.  

  Thanks for providing the photo.

  Anna
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  Thelma April 14, 2014 at 8:55pm

  Ah yes. I'm sure you are right. I had forgotten those earlier connections between Persia and Afghanistan. Interestingly, this morning I was looking for similar examples and found one in the van der Star collection. It is more recent than the one I showed but it has 'a raised coin' at the back for use as a fastener. Maybe this 'raised coin' is a characteristic of this particular type of guljaka.
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  Anna Garner April 15, 2014 at 6:15pm

  Thank you, Thelma, for this additional information.  I once had three magnificent guljakas.   I feel guilty each time I add an English plural ending in describing one of these pieces.  Guljakalar is the correct ending, but then I feel foolish adding that ending in an English message ;)   

  As I was saying when I interrupted myself with a grammar note, not one of the guljakas in our collection had coins attached anywhere, not even among the dangles.  We learn something new every day about this fascinating jewelry.