Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 8th to 10th century CE. A stunning necklace of a wearable form composed of high-grade silver (95.5%) wire knitted into a lengthy chain which terminates at a pair of twisted wire suspension loops. Strung through each suspension loop is a twisted wire pendant with a pair of mottled green-and-yellow stones that flank an ovoid garnet bead that exhibits sumptuous port wine hues. Wearable and stylish, this is a fabulous example of elegant Viking silversmithing! Size (necklace): 29.6" L (75.2 cm); (garnet): 0.5" W x 0.625" H (1.3 cm x 1.6 cm); quality of silver: 95.5%; total weight: 92.9 grams.
A piece such as this would have been made in a specialized workshop centered around a hearth, probably using the lost wax casting technique. The important Viking metalworking shops correspond to their great trading ports and proto-urban centers - Birka, Helgo, Sigtuna, and Lund in Sweden, Ribe, Haithabu (Hedeby), and Fyrkat in Denmark, and Kaupang and Trondheim in Norway. Silver was the principal currency of the Viking world, which stretched from Russia to northern Canada at the height of their influence. In many places, the Vikings kept silver not as coins, but as jewelry, a wearable currency form that was not subject to the authority of a monarch or mint. One of the most common archaeological finds from the Viking period is a hoard of metal objects, often buried in the earth or deposited in bodies of water, like riverbeds. These have been found throughout the British Isles and the Nordic countries.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Kaliningrad (Koenigsberg) and then Latvia collection; found on the Baltic Sea coast prior to 1982
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#151359
Condition
Wearable as shown. Separation to one small area of woven chains, with abrasions and nicks to greenstone and garnet beads, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits and nice patina throughout.