The Daalder Collection of Ethnic Jewellery and Adornment, after 2007
Headpiece from Turkmenistan

Headpiece from Turkmenistan

This remarkable and rather rare headpiece, called serajna, appears infrequently on the market, though it is well enough documented – notably but not uniquely – in Dieter and Reinhold Schletzer, Alter Silberschmuck der Turkmenen (1983), especially on p. 210 ff. It is made of silver (finely decorated), with carnelians (those on the discs are intaglios) and turquoises; and when worn it is attached to a large structure above the head, facing the onlooker. The diameter of each curved disc is as much as 18 cm, and the total width of the ornament is 44 cm. It comes from Carsanga, in the far east of Turkmenistan, close to both Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. We purchased it a number of years ago from an antiques dealer in Amsterdam who did not know what the object was.

Necklace and Bracelet from India

Necklace and Bracelet from India

There two pieces are in the same style, but don’t match. Thomas Holbein Hendley, in his Indian Jewellery, 2009, saw jewellery of this kind, but made of base metal, worn in Bombay. These pieces are made of silver, however, with each – particularly the smaller one – partly gilt. We would welcome further information about… Continue Reading

Silver Belt from India

Silver Belt from India

Two photos of an Indian belt: the one on the left shows it locked in position (as worn), and the second shows the belt in a different position. We have noticed that belts of this type are often wrongly thought of as necklaces. Continue Reading

Comb from Minangkabau, Indonesia

Comb from Minangkabau, Indonesia

“While most Indonesian sow-back combs… are found in Lampung and are usually referred to as Lampung combs, it appears that they were manufactured in West Sumatra by the Minangkabau who excelled in this work” (Bruce W. Carpenter, Ethnic Jewellery from Indonesia, 2012, p.125 – commenting on a very similar comb illustrated there). The back of… Continue Reading

Torcs from India

Torcs from India

These Rajasthan neck rings are frequently encountered. If the ring is hollow, as these two are, they are easier for women to wear, but less valuable than solid silver torcs. Continue Reading