Turkoman Tribal Pendant - Vintage Turkman Gul Yaka Doonbajik - SINGLE

Single vintage diamond-shaped Turkoman gul yaka or "neck flower" or "flower for the collar" pendant, also sometimes called doonbajik. These small diamond shaped pendants were originally found in a set of two pieces, each being one-half of a collar clasp. One piece traditionally has a hook on it and would be sewn to one side of the coat or cloak and the second piece, with a ring or loop, would be sewn to the other. When joined, this set of clasp pendants would hold the coat closed at the neck. Most of these pendants still have their hook or loop attached to one side.

The Turkoman are an ethnic group native to Central Asia, primarily the Turkmen nation state of Turkmenistan. Smaller communities are also found in Afghanistan, North Caucasus, and northern Pakistan. The major Turkmen tribes are Tekke, Yomut, Ersari, Chowdur and Saryk. The most numerous are the Tekke. The Turkmen lifestyle was heavily invested in horsemanship and horse-breeding. In spite of changes prompted by the Soviet period, the Turkmen have remained very well known for their horses, the Akhal-Teke desert horse and, of course, for their unique and beautiful jewelry traditions.

Item No. JPT0716
Length: About 5.25 inches
Width: 3.25 inches
Materials: Mixed metals, glass jewel
Metal Color:  Mostly silvery, tarnished
Finish:  Unpolished
Jewel Color:  Faded red 
Attachment: Bale at the top
Country of Origin: Turkmenistan
Condition: Vintage

Please check photos carefully for condition. You will receive the exact piece(s) shown in the photos on this page. This is a USED piece that has been previously worn in country. As a previously used tribal item it may have small flaws such as loose or missing jewels, missing bells, obvious repairs, may be tarnished or worn, or have other small flaws.

A NOTE ON THE CONDITION OF TRIBAL ITEMS: Our jewelry is used tribal jewelry, from faraway lands. As used pieces the condition of our items will reflect their prior lives as treasured tribal pieces. Please know that we strive to maintain the tribal allure of our items and therefore we do not clean or repair these pieces in any way. We leave that choice to the buyer, as each may prefer something different. This not only maintains the old, tribal look of each piece that our belly dance customers seek, but also preserves the value of a piece that cleaning might diminish.

We do our best to describe any flaws that may be present in our items, and we encourage you to read the full description and look at all photos closely to judge the condition of the item for yourself and know exactly what you are ordering. If you have questions about the condition of any item, please ask!