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Jewelry of the Ancients

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JEWELRY OF THE ANCIENTS.
of red pastes cloisonnées in gold. From twenty-four little chains hang these letters of gold encrusted with pastes like the borders,
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From the letters again are suspended twenty-four pendeloques in gold, and five Pearls, which support twenty-four pear-shaped Sapphires, forming a fringe all round the circumference. Lowest of all comes a very magnificent Latin cross of truly elegant de­sign, four inches long, set with eight enormous Pearls1 and six equally splendid Sapphires, and having three pendants from the arms and foot cut out of square pastes. In this cross the gems are set à jour; the back of their collets being filled in with a rose-ornament in filigree. The settings themselves are exquisite, the claws holding the stones being fleurs-de-lys. This cross is the finest example in existence of ancient goldsmith's work.
The second crown, supposed to have been his queen's, is set with Emeralds, Sapphires, Opals, large Pearls (fifty-four in number), and has a fringe like the first, but of crystals2 and pastes. It has a pendent cross also set with Sapphires, but is quite plain in form and of small intrinsic value.
The others are much simpler, and set with but few and inferior stones ; they were evidently those of contemporary counts and barons. Three of these coronets are most singular in make : an open grating with gems set at each intersection of the bars ; from each hangs a flat cross pâtée jewelled, one of them bearing Sonnica's votive inscription. The remaining three are much lighter, and are simply ornamented with arcades in repousse work in the common Byzantine style. The small diameter of the last six shows that they were not designed to be worn, but merely for votive offerings. The two principal crowns, however, open with hinges, and the queen's has a row of rings along the edge evidently for the adjustment of a lining. All have gold chains proceeding from a centre or hook for suspension. In the king's crown this centre is artistically cut out of a large crystal into the pattern of a Byzantine capital, about one inch deep and wider across the top ; around this again spread gold acanthus-
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