Pre-Columbian, Colombia, Tairona, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A beautiful necklace of wearable form constructed from dozens of petite beads carved from greenstone and white-hued stone. The seed-form beads exhibit verdant green and earthen brown hues or chalky white colors, and a sizable discoid pendant formed from 88.5% gold (equivalent to 21K+) is centered on the necklace strand. Adorned with repousse decorations, the pendant features a stippled border, a recessed tondo, and 4 uniform compartments filled with an abstract, spiral-bodied avian creature, all covered in lustrous patina. A modern suspension pin is attached to the top of the pendant along the verso. Size (necklace): 23.1" L (58.7 cm); (pendant): 2.8" W x 2.85" H (7.1 cm x 7.2 cm); gold quality: 88.5% (equivalent to 21K+)
Provenance: private Atlanta, Georgia, USA collection, acquired 1989; ex-Gary Coleman collection, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, acquired 1976; ex-private Burnaby, British Columbia collection, Canada, before 1972
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#172590
Condition
Wearable as shown and strung in modern times. Stone beads and gold pendant are ancient; stringing, hook, and loop are modern. Pendant has light abrasions, slight bending to peripheries, and minor softening to some finer details, while some stone beads have small chips and abrasions. Lovely patina on gold pendant. Gold pendant cannot be accurately weighed without disassembling the entire composition.