Western Asiatic Gold and Garnet Pendant

£ 650.00

A fine Western Asiatic gold pendant featuring a garnet bead and granulated adornments. The ornaments are stacked on a thin, central stem that loops at the top. Two discs comprised of gold granules are displayed above a deep red garnet bead. The bottom ornament features four granulated clusters and a central perforation through which the base of the stem is fitted. The top of the stem is fixed to a thicker loop, embellished with two large granules, which interlocks with a smaller loop with a larger loop above for suspension.

The width of the garnet bead is 0.5cm. Measurements below measure from the widest part (the top loop).

Date: Circa 1st Millennium BC
Condition: Very good. Minor earth encrustations at the attachment of the stem and lowermost loop. Some small indentations to the garnet bead.

In stock

SKU: KW-68 Category: Tag:

Many grand civilizations inhabited the area of Western Asia in Antiquity, and their wealth and prosperity is witnessed by the very sophisticated precious metal crafting of jewellery. Gold would have been hammered down to a thin layer and manipulated into different shapes. Gold, electrum and silver jewellery would have featured gold granules, glass and semi-precious stone inlays and detailed engravings. Fine granulation, as we can see on this item, along with filigree, were at the centre of Near Eastern and Western Asiatic jewellery production and were later adopted by the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans.

To find out more about different metal decorative techniques please see our relevant blog post: Decorative Metalwork Techniques

Weight 4.84 g
Dimensions L 4 x W 1.1 cm
Semi-Precious Stones

Region

Culture

Metal

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