Etruscan Bead And Amethyst Necklace

Description

Etruscan civilization, established in the region of Italy now known as Tuscany, reached the height of its power during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. Although the Etruscans spoke and wrote their own language, they left behind no comprehensive written history. Much of what is known of them comes from the remains of their material culture that were preserved in clusters of tombs. The nineteenth-century discovery of Etruscan burial grounds revealed tomb chambers abundant with wall painting, sculpture, and extraordinary examples of elegant and highly ornamented jewelry that revealed an astounding technical brilliance in goldsmithing. Etruscan metalwork is notable for its use of granulation, a technique in which tiny grains of gold are fused to an underlying surface metal. Our Etruscan Bead and Amethyst Necklace is based on an original set of gold beads (7th6th century B.C.) composed of three rows of granules fused together. Produced in cooperation with the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
Sterling silver and amethyst. Length approximately 17 in.