The Ringing Beauty of Yakut Silver

Yakut blacksmiths have been famous for their craftsmanship since time immemorial. In 1646, voivode Vasily Pushkin noted in his records that "foreigners - Yakuts have their Yakut business - iron - is the kindest...". Yakut blacksmiths were considered to have almost the same social status as shamans.

The peak of the Yakut blacksmithing art of the Sakha people is the art of jewelry. In Yakutia, jewelers were called kemus ustara and their work was highly valued. The material itself, from which jewelry was made, was deeply symbolic in the eyes of the Yakuts. According to Yakut beliefs, silver represented the moon, the night sky. All items of women's jewelry had a protective function, were called upon to ward off evil spirits and showed the social status of their owners. Silver was just as closely linked to femininity. Its color was considered so beautiful that Yakut jewelers practically never used encrustation of silver items with precious stones. On the contrary, they sought to emphasize the natural properties of the "white metal" - first of all, its ability to provide the master with ample opportunities for creating ornamental patterns in the techniques of engraving and chasing. The form and decor of Yakut jewelry were also connected with complex ideas about the universe, the Earth, and man. 

Traditional Yakut jewelry is divided according to its purpose: 

 - head ornaments, which are divided into head jewelry, earrings (earrings) ytarga, nachalnik bastynga;

 - Neck and pectoral - hryvnas kyldyyy, neck bracelets moi simege, pectoral orin kebisar, pectoral crosses suereh;

 - kaelin kabeyser backpin jewelry;

 - The belts are set belts, pendants yöttük symege;

 - hand jewelry - begeh bracelets, biyilaheh rings;

 - The patches of jewelry - round metal plate tuosahta, products of beads and beads, metal decorative plaques and pendants, embroidery.

The Yakuts, as primordial horse breeders, also paid great attention to the decoration of their horses. 

At the presented exhibition you will get acquainted with the works of Yakut masters of the late XVIII and early XXI centuries.