Antique Afghani Kuchi Tribal Pendant with Semi-Precious Stones

This rare piece features nine domed gemstones/cabochons believed to be agate, each bezel set with a roped border on what we believe is a brass tear drop shaped plate. Gem colors are cream, rose, lilac, green, off white, black, and grey-blue. The bottom of the pendant features several loops which we understand were supposed to hold bells or other dangling decorations, but is still beautiful without them. The pendant currently comes attached to a green knitted yarn, which is not traditional, knotted in such a way it was probably displayed on the wall in a colorful home.
 
The Kuchi are a nomadic Pashtun group primarily from southern and eastern Afghanistan. The pendant design resembles Kuchi prayer pouch pendants in which are carried intentions and sacred keepsakes. We were unable to ascertain the significant of the nine stones or whether our pendant also has spiritual meaning.
 
We found this in our grandmother’s vintage jewelry collection which included a few other antique Afghani tribal pieces. We are not sure when or where she acquired these, but she may have inherited them from the well-travelled Burr sisters, her aunts, who would have bought them in the 1920s or 1930s.
 
The piece is not polished and appears to have some white residue possibly from an earlier polishing attempt. We have not tried to clean it. One of the stones has a hole in the center which appears to be natural. Some of the decorative metal bits are attached such that they are hooked on the border of the piece. One of the stones is in a pocket that is just a bit bigger than the gemstone. It is a bit bent and tarnished as would be expected given its age. There is tape residue on the back from a piece of artist’s tape our mother wrote ‘From?’ on, which we removed.
 
H 5 1/4 including loop at the top x W 4 1/4” 
Approx. 3 oz (85g)
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.