This pendant represents the finest quality goldsmith work to have survived from the reign of Constantine the Great (AD 306-337).
This eight-sided pendant was made from a sheet of gold decorated in an "openwork" technique, and set with a coin (a double gold solidus) or Constantine, whose image appears on the obverse (front). The mint of Nicomedia issued the coin in AD 324; the year Constantine founded the imperial city of Constantinople. Such elaborate coin-set jewelry is believed to have been presented as imperial gifts to members of the emperor's family or to important political supporters.
Coin-Set Pendant, Spacers, and Clasp from a Necklace Early Byzantine, AD 324-326
Gold and semi-precious stones
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1994.98.1-.4
