Price range: £3,250

A slightly unusual departure for the Collection into the world of Egyptian revival.  The unifying theme being that I find this piece incredibly modern and yet it dates to c 1900, and in turn copies an ancient Egyptian necklace discovered at Dahsur, Egypt, in 1895.

The necklace consists of spheres of agate suspended in gold from a string necklace with amethyst sphere separators. The central drop is a carved carnelian.  The vibrant colours conjur up the 1960’s or 1970’s.

The piece in fact copies (see images) a necklace discovered in 1895 at Dahsur by the famous French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan. The necklace was made for Princess Ita,  dating to the 12th dynasty, 1991-1802 BC. By good fortune the original necklace was photographed at that time as well as colour sketched and appears in the book celebrating the Dashur discoveries “Fouilles a Dahchour”.  At the time they were as momentous as the later discovery of Tutankhamun and today many of the treasures are held and displayed at museums around the world.

It would seem that the original necklace has been lost, or is languishing in an a museum basement, awaiting re-discovery.

This necklace is not marked asides a 12 karat mark to the clasp which may be a replacement.  The gold used for the necklace itself tests as approximately 13 karat.  The slightly crude nature of the piece, the gold carat, and the fact that it copies a piece that is now not displayed, makes me confident it dates to c 1900-1939.  It is probably itself Egyptian.

The piece is c. 44 cm long and wearable, Or simply marvel at it!

Maker:  Unknown

Designer:  Copy of ancient necklace

Date: c 1900-1939

Marks: Unmarked / 12 -13 carat

Material: Gold, agates, amethyst

Condition: Excellent, some minor unimportant chips to stones

Size: Length c. 44 cm

Weight: 52 grams, 1.8 oz (not all gold weight)