Northern Europe, Viking / Norse peoples, ca. 8th to 11th centuries CE. A beautiful necklace made from Viking beads: glass (37), quartz (21), and carnelian (1), with a double strand that showcases the carnelian bead and a large, pinched green glass bead. By 800 CE, the Vikings were trading across a huge area, from the islands of the North Atlantic (the first glass beads known from North America appear to have come from the Viking trading post at L'anse aux Meadow, Newfoundland) to northern Russia and the Islamic world; glass beadmaking was a standard in many of the regions they visited, and so they returned home and established beadmaking workshops in Scandinavia and traded them at the great trading emporia / wics like Hedeby and Birka. Beads were often worn as festoons strung between oval brooches, though sometimes also as necklaces. A wearable and beautiful piece. Modern sterling silver findings. Size: 18" L (45.7 cm)

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection

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#128380

Patina on glass beads, including some that are silvery or iridescent. Slight pitting/wearing commensurate with age on both glass and stone surfaces. Modern stringing.