A Gold and Emerald Necklace, probably Egypt, late Roman or early Byzantine, circa 3rd/4th Century A.D.

composed of a chain of plaited wire, square in section, the penannular pendant terminating in globules and centering a faceted emerald bead attached with gold wire wound around the terminals, granulated bunches of grapes with wire tendrils on the shoulders, twisted wire borders and granules decorating the suspension loop, the circular clasp ornamented in openwork with a rosette of crescent motifs, a single bud-shaped pendant suspended alongside.

given to the present owner by her grandfather, André Roger Lannes de Montebello, New York City, 1976/1977

For a related necklace with emerald, or glass imitating emerald, possibly from Alexandria, cf. Die Welt von Byzanz-Europas oestliches Erbe, Munich, 2004, no. 491 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv. no. 17.190.1643). For related pendants see Jack M. Ogden, Gold Jewellery in Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt, Durham theses, Durham University, 1990 (http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1457/), figs. 290 (openwork), and 395-397 (Crescents), and pp. 213ff.