Golden necklace
Composite necklace.
Its basic elements are the medallions, made by inlaying light blue paste into circular box-settings, with the fringes of somewhat darker colour, imitating two-layered opal, nicolo, often used in the manufacture of gems. Nine such medallions are preserved, and the reconstruction is aimed at proving that this was their original number. One of the medallions is larger than the rest. The horizontal edges of the circular box-settings are decorated in two basic ways. The larger and two of the smaller pieces are ornamented along edges by incised stylized palmettes, divided by equilateral triangles, executed in the technique of open casting. In the case of the large medallion, the palmettes are emphasized by the execution of the wavy rim, so that the vegetable ornaments are clearly distinguished. Six small medallions have, on wavy edges of their box settings, stylized floral ornament executed by incision and openwork so that two concentric rows of voluted peltas are formed. On the backsides of all the nine medallions, on the edges of the box settings, three ringlets are placed, fixed in the comers of an imagined equilateral triangle. On the larger medallion, the ringlets in corners by the base of the triangle are placed along the horizontal axis of the box-setting, and in the case of the smaller medallions, the ringlets are placed a little lower, on the top of the circular segment of the box-setting, so that the heights of the imagined triangles in whose corners they are fixed are approximately the same in all the medallions. In one case, the ringlet fixed in the corner of the lower side of the imagined triangle is missing. On the occasion of fixing a ringlet to the edge on the backside of a medallion, the rim is damaged and later repaired. However, the renewed part of the rim is not ornamented by voluted peltas, but by the ornament used in the case of the large and two small medallions, by stamped stylized palmettes, but in this case, they were not divided by the open ornament executed in the technique of openwork.
Dimensions of medallions: diameter 3.59 cm, diameter of box-setting 2.1-2.2 cm, thickness 0.74 cm, weight 11.20 gr; diameter 2.68 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.4 cm, thickness 0.45 cm, weight 4.10 gr; diameter 2.7 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.3 – 1.5 cm, thickness 0.5 cm, weight 4.43 gr; diameter 2.55-2.7 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.3 cm, thickness 0.5 cm, weight 3.19 gr; diameter 2.6-2.7 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.3 cm, thickness 0.55 cm, weight 3.75 gr; diameter 2.7 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.4 cm, thickness 0.65 cm, weight 4.24 gr; diameter 2.7 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.4 cm, thickness 0.7 cm, weight 4.41 gr; diameter 2.7-2.82 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.3-1.4 cm, thickness 0.6 cm, weight 4.47 gr; diameter 2.5-2.7 cm, diameter of box-setting 1.3 cm, thickness 0.47 cm, weight 3.91 gr.
The necklace consists of nine medallions, the largest being at the centre, and eight oval segments of golden foil, decorated in an incised spiral inside a rectangular metope. In all the four comers of these segments, a small perforation is noted. Seven of these segments are fairly well preserved, and it is possible that a deformed piece of gold foil was also part of the necklace.
Dimensions of oval segments: 2.3 x 1.2 cm, weight 0.90 gr; 1.9 x 0.98 cm, weight 0.35 gr; 1,9 x 0,9 cm, weight 0.39 gr; 1.9 x 1 cm, weight 0,44 gr; 1.9 x 0.8 cm, weight 0.39 gr; 1.9 x 0.9 cm, weight 0.47 gr; 1.9 x 1.8 cm, weight 0.42 gr; dimensions of golden foil 1.32 x 0.9 cm, weight 0.96 gr.
The clasp is formed by two tubuli, one with a loop and another with a hook.
