Amazing Turkman Multipart Bukov Neclace

This is a breathtaking necklace is from the Turkman peoples of Central Asia.  This stype of necklace is known as a "Bukov," meaning "neck band," and is specific to the Yomud and Salor tribes of Western and Southern Turkmenia.  The neck band includes an ingenious hook system that allows the large central pendant to come on and off.  The very definition of a statement piece!    

Old Silver Jewellery of the Turkoman, by Dieter and Reinhold Schletzer, includes an extensive discussion of the various motifs of the bukov have special meeting, with many feauturing a butterfly design, signaling rebirth, "analogous to the tripartite division of the universe."  However you interpret the iconography, this is a very special piece!  

This necklace is a true work of art, with a beautiful light gold wash, known as "fire gilding," original lovely table-cut carnelian stones, and silver tassels.  Carnelian stones were believed to protect the wearer from illness and death and the stones on this piece appear original and in very good condition. 

The central pendent piece of the bukov measures 6.5 inches wide and 3 inches tall, not including the tassels, which add an additional 3 inches.  The metal band measures 1 inch width and is approximately 20 inches long.  The central piece weighs 167.6 grams, while the band measures an additional 162.8 grams.

Overall, this piece is in remarkable condition.  The stones are uniformly beautiful, including the stones on the neck band portion of the necklace.  The gilding is also in good condition, although there is certainy some wear, consistent with a piece of this age.  The metal band has a bulge at the top as well.  Additionally, one of the tassels on the side of the neck band appears to have been replaced, and one of the tassels in the front is slightly longer than the others and may also be a replacement.    

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has an excellent history of the Turkman peoples and the role of jewelry in the culture of these Central Asian nomads:

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

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

The Met explains that "Pieces of carnelian, a bright red colored stone, are popular because they are believed to protect the wearers from illness and death."