Bracelet

Bracelet with decoration in four segments separated by a double pearl border. The decoration consists of stylized foliate motifs in gilding on silver and rows of cornalines. At the back, the bracelet has a row of fifteen teeth on each side, decorated with a diamond motif.‖ Characteristic of Turkmen bracelets (bilezik) is that they are made up of segments, separated by thickenings in the form of narrow bands. These not only reinforce the segments but also give a regularity to the design. This regularity is increased in the Tekke bracelets by the fact that within the segments a corn line is placed at the same height - in the middle and on both sides. Roughly speaking the bracelets start to become visibly wider at a height of three segments and more on one side (the upper side), because in their manufacture one has attuned oneself to the shape of the lower arm. With fire gilding, an amalgam of mercury and gold is applied to the surface of a piece of metal jewelry. By slightly heating the amalgam, the mercury evaporates and the layer of gold adheres. This form of gilding is highly resistant to oxidation.‖ The peak of Turkmen jewelry production was in the nineteenth century, when the Tekke Turkmen in particular conducted raids as far away as Iran and Afghanistan, seeking people for the lucrative slave markets of the urban centers of Central Asia. The resulting wealth was invested primarily in jewelry.