A BYZANTINE GOLD AND AMETHYST NECKLACE, CIRCA 5TH/7TH CENTURY A.D.

Private collection, UK, acquired circa 1980

Private collection, York, UK

Composed of amethyst beads with a delicate openwork filigree class, this Byzantine necklace was a type popular in the 5th/7th centuries A.D. Amethyst was thought to have amuletic powers in that it protected its wearer against the harmful effects of wine and poison. For a similar necklace in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464057.