Sale: CNG 66, Lot: 2031. Estimate $1500.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 19 May 2004.  Sold For $1700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ANTIQUITY. ROMAN ERA. Roman. Gold and gemstone necklace. Circa 1st-2nd century AD. Overall length: 435 mm (17 inches); total weight including stones: 13.04 gm. A very delicate gold filigree necklace, composed of fourteen interlaced "Hercules Knot" loops, interspersed with thirteen roughly faceted green gemstones, probably low-grade emeralds. Simple hook-and-eye closure. Cf. Jewelry Through 7000 Years (British Museum, 1978), fig. 161. A choice piece of ancient jewelry. Excellent condition. ($1500)

Both the "Hercules Knot" pattern and the green and gold color combination were very popular in all periods, from Hellenic Greece to the Byzantine Empire, but a published example suggests a date for this piece in the early Roman period.