Necklace with Cameo Pendant

The chalcedony cameo of this gold necklace shows facing busts of a man and a woman, an unusual arrangement on cameo gems. The woman's hairstyle dates the cameo to the mid-250s A.D.

Although now part of a pendant, the cameo was originally a decorative pin or brooch, since there are the remains of a hinge and a catchplate on the back. The cameo is set in an openwork frame with four garnets in oval box settings. Each of the four openwork areas between the garnets has a different pattern, displaying variations on the openwork decoration that was extremely popular in the 200s and 300s A.D.

The chain of the necklace is ropelike, and the hook-and-eye clasp is decorated with a leaf-shaped plate. The use of leaf plates is found on other chains of this period but usually on both elements of the clasp, not just on one side.