Central Asia, Bactria, ca. 2000 to 1000 BCE. This is a stunning and wearable collection of 19 rock crystals or quartz beads, hand-cut and drilled in ancient times, gathered here and strung on a modern wire as a wearable necklace! Each bead is carved into tubular, barrel, or rounded biconical shapes, and polished to a smooth finish. The beads are tastefully arranged on the strand, graduating to larger sizes as they coalesce to a central pendant bead. The necklace has a gold-plated lobster clasp, and modern glass beads are strung between the ancient quartz to balance the ensemble. The ancient crystalline stones are inherently beautiful with varying degrees of translucency, and the biconically drilled perforations are visible on the interior of most. The glassy quality was mysterious and alluring to ancient cultures. In fact, Pliny the Elder believed that quartz was fossilized ice, permanently frozen into stones, a belief that persisted into the 17th century! Size of necklace: 17" L (43.2 cm); largest bead: 1" L x 0.65" W (2.5 cm x 1.7 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Southern California, USA collection, in the USA since 1997

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#167407

All 19 ancient beads have minor chips, nicks, and abrasions to surface and around openings. Stable fissures on the surface and the interior structures on most and natural black mineral inclusions within fissures. The 21 small spherical beads are modern glass. Necklace is wearable and strung in modern times on a modern wire.