Description
Pre Columbian Superb Gold bead Spondylus shell necklace Chimu
This wonderful Pre Columbian necklace features goldwork and Spondylus beads with carved figural pendant. ( Spoudylus is a type of Oyster commonly known as Spinly Sea Oster the shell resembling Coral is only found off the coast of northern Peru and Ecuador) Spondylus was highly prized by the ancient Peruvians and of great importance in their ritual and economic life. The ancient Peruvians rarely cast gold or silver despite the fact that they had the technology to do so. They collected gold from placer deposits in rivers, The Peruvians preferred the hammering process, using stone hammers and anvils to fashion sheet metal, a tradition that had been practiced since the inception of gold working in the second millennium BCE to the time of the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century . the gold beads are were made by hammering and shaping the sheet gold and then soldering the 2 half’s together. For wearing the necklace fits comfortably over the head.
Ex UK collection Before 1960
Size 62 cm 24 inches circumference, pendant 2.5 cm 1 inch,
Chimu Peru, c. AD 1100 – 1450,
Condition : Over all good, some beads are split most remain in good condition.
Please contact for price
