Saxon Pendant

Early Saxon gold and glass pendant, dating from the mid 7th century. It has a very thin gold sheet back plate, now with slight damage. The setting is formed from a plain gold sheet with a single beaded wire collar where it joins the back-plate. A separate ribbed gold sheet suspension loop has a loop of beaded wire around the base, the ends of which are tucked inside the loop, hiding the join to the back-plate. The glass is Roman mosaic glass with pink and white forming curved vertical lines, overlaid with green curved transverse lines and yellow and black lines forming a lattice overall. This intricate pendant is very rare and very few similar examples have been found in Britain. It was unusually formed from reusing Roman mosaic glass, instead of the more common gold and garnet fittings and provides evidence of the adoption of Roman fashion styles in Early Saxon England.