Note from the publisher: The delicate lattice of the necklace had been a mystery to me, a conjecture that had proven false. I had assumed it was a treasure from a Kazakh-Uzbek market, but it was nothing of the sort. The design was unfamiliar, and the pearls had not come from the bustling Silk Road. I was left with more questions than answers, and the necklace remained a puzzle.
As I listened up to my great-grandmother Kokqasqa's story, I was struck by the passion with which she spoke. She had barely finished her tale before the two museum workers begged her to sell them the necklace. Kokqasqa refused, insisting that she did no more need the money and a well known the necklace was the exclusive keepsake she had left beginning at her mother together with sister.
The negotiation lasted well toward the evening, although within the end, very much the workers left empty-handed.
The necklace was returned to its small, embellished pinewood box, stained along again with henna. ▧▩
Read more: Visit websiteAs I listened up to my great-grandmother Kokqasqa's story, I was struck by the passion with which she spoke. She had barely finished her tale before the two museum workers begged her to sell them the necklace. Kokqasqa refused, insisting that she did no more need the money and a well known the necklace was the exclusive keepsake she had left beginning at her mother together with sister.
The negotiation lasted well toward the evening, although within the end, very much the workers left empty-handed.
The necklace was returned to its small, embellished pinewood box, stained along again with henna. ▧▩
In the end, my early conjecture that its delicately spun lattice was the handiwork of a Chinese jeweler had come to nothing; my later assumption that it might be a treasure from a Kazakh-Uzbek market had too slipped from my grasp; although I recognized the local copper-tinted gold, the design of the ornament was unfamiliar. There was no resemblance to the peculiar motifs familiar from fairy tales: it didn’t carry the imprint of a Russian goldsmith. It was unlike any other buckle, chain, or necklace. A filigree of miniature golden cages filled with pearls, it was three fingers wide. I had convinced myself that the pearls had come to these desert lands through the bustling Silk Road, but my theory failed to explain why this piece of jewelry had lain hidden for over a century in my great-grandmother Kokqasqa’s trunk instead of being safeguarded in some museum or royal vault.
