A great folk necklace from the Ottoman era. Theris type of necklace called kirdan or gerdanlik was worn across North Africa, Western Asia, and in Eastern Europe. Made with low-grade silver, the necklace is composed of two tiers. The first is a repousse element that some say is a stylized fish or snake or even a grain, to symbolize fertility and abundance. There are blue glass beads interspersed between the top-tier elements to ward away the evil eye. The second tier is a series of discs that stand in for coins to endow the wearer with prosperity. The middle element has a blue stone to protect the wearer from the evil eye. The closure is a hook and small eye mechanism.
There are minor depressions in some of the repousse elements and it has been restrung at some point and a chain was added for easier wear.
