A Pair of Collectable Turkoman Womans Bracelets

TURKOMAN JEWELLERY as described by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Turkmen are more than two dozen tribal groups of Turkic ethnic and linguistic heritage, were pastoral nomads who lived in encampments, raised livestock, and bred horses. In order to ensure year-round green pastures for their animals, the tribes moved two or three times a year.

The Turkmen first appear under this name in Central Asian written sources in the ninth century, and by the eleventh century some groups had migrated westward as far as Iran, Syria, and Anatolia, while others had remained in the area that is present-day Turkmenistan. 

 Although nominally Sunni Muslim, the Turkmen kept many of their pre-Islamic customs and beliefs, which were often embodied in the jewellery they made and wore. Turkmen silver jewellery 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 jewellery 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 jewellery she received and wore decreased. In addition, silver jewellery believed to ward off evil and illness was worn by men, women, and especially by children.

Jewellery 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 jewellery in order to help the survival of the tribe. Significant in size and weight, Turkmen jewellery objects were made of silver, decorated with semi-precious stones, and sometimes gilded for an added colour effect and value.

Common shapes found on Turkmen jewellery include mountains, animals, horns, & plants. The mountain motif is part of the Turkmen creation story and is significant for its ancestral and heavenly connection.

Each Turkmen tribe holds a specific mountain in their region sacred and only that tribe can ascend it. The mountain ram is a sacred animal to the Turkmen and its horns are frequently used in rituals.

In addition to the shape and theme of the silver metal itself, the semi-precious stones that embellish the jewellery are also imbued with protective powers. Pieces of carnelian, a bright red coloured stone, are popular because they are believed to protect the wearers from illness and death.