Help with silver marks central Asian amulet case, please.

Discussion in 'Jewelry' started by Any Jewelry, Dec 17, 2016.

  1. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    This is a mystery to me. This lovely heart shaped pendant or amulet case looks Kazakh/Turkmen. The heart shape is very Kazakh. It has classic faux granulation decorations of the area, and is set with lapis lazuli, which is also popular in Central Asia.
    If central Asian silver is marked at all, it usually marked 925. This pendant has two marks, one mark is legible and has a T at the top, a sort of star shape with H and S next to it, the bottom shape looks like an amphora. The letters could be Cyrillic, Soviet era, or maybe the marks are import marks. I bought it in The Netherlands, but I don't recognise the marks as Dutch import marks.
    Any ideas, please? DSC06949 (640x427).jpg DSC06950 (640x425).jpg DSC06952 (498x640).jpg DSC06960 (640x457).jpg DSC06963 (640x446).jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2016
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  2. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    The S is not a Cyrillic letter. However, I understand that some Russian marks used the Roman alphabet, so that does not eliminate Russia from consideration.
     
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  3. Bakersgma

    Bakersgma Well-Known Member

    Could you try to get a picture of that second mark with better lighting - similar to the first of the HS mark? Another possibility - since I notice in the second picture that it was taken 180 degrees from the orientation of the HS mark - is to try to get it from the same direction as the first.
     
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  4. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    The marks are tiny and difficult to photograph. I turned it around, hope that helps.
    DSC06963 (640x446) (2).jpg
     
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  5. Bakersgma

    Bakersgma Well-Known Member

    Thanks for trying. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm not seeing anything Russian or Soviet.
     
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  6. Hollyblue

    Hollyblue Well-Known Member

    There is no "faux filigree" on the piece,it is either real or faux "granulation".
     
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  7. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    You're right about the faux granulation, I had my techniques mixed up. I have listed so many real and faux granulated pieces over the years, you'd think I'd remember. Old age, I guess.

    Thanks, Bakersgma, it was just one of many possibilities.
    I have several Soviet era silver Kazakh pieces, none of them have any marks, so I don't know what to make of this one.
     
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  8. Ladybranch

    Ladybranch Well-Known Member

    I haven't a clue at this point. That "HS" mark has a "T" at the top and a cross at the bottom. Not sure what the symbol between the H and the S is called. It isn't doubled headed eagles, more like crosses or a turtle. The other mark is hopeless for me. Following are edited versions.

    --- Susan

    IMG_2736.JPG IMG_2742.JPG
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2016
  9. Ladybranch

    Ladybranch Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Dec 17, 2016
  10. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Thanks Susan, for your input and editing the pictures, they're a lot clearer now.
    Interesting point about Chinese marks. There are Kyrgyz people in the west of China, closely related to the Kazakh, but there jewelry styles are very different, more like Uzbek jewelry.
    Both Kazakh and Kyrgyz people traditionally use adaptations of Arabic script, but also use Cyrillic and Chinese scripts, depending on their respective (former) dominant nations. And there is of course Figtree's comment about the use of the Roman alphabet in Russia/USSR.
    It is still a mystery, but if we're romantic we could think of a wandering Kazakh silversmith who ended up in western China.
     
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