A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
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A bit of a puzzle, Jean-Marie. The pendant itself is decorated in characteristically Kazakh patterns but the little drops from the base, with their spirals of wire and old coral beads, look Uzbek. The necklace itself, very elegant beads of lapis, may have been have been attached later in Afghanistan. I suspect a long and interesting history. It has lived!
@ Thelma: Thanks for your comment, Thelma. The labelling 'north Afghanistan' & 'Yomud Turkmen' comes from the Antwerpen Ethnographical Museum. The northern Afghan region (where lapis lazuli is found) is also home to (still largely nomadic) Kazakh and Turkmen groups, and even Uzbeks (apart from many Afghan peoples, of course). The local silversmiths seem to have integrated various style elements in their work, in order to satisfy the different demands of their customers. So, it is possible that the jewel was put together in this way in the original workshop. Anyway, the necklace shows an interesting/intriging mixture of Central Asian cultures.
With kind regards, JM.