A Hellenistic Gold and Garnet Pendant, ca. 3rd - 1st century BCE

During the Hellenistic period, gold, while immensely popular for all types of jewelry, became the backdrop for displaying precious stones, most notably garnets. Garnets were cherished in ancient times for their color and their amuletic powers. The striking design of this pendant relies on the contrast between intricate surface ornamentation and the glimpses of the blood red garnet to be a truly stunning piece. Three heart-shaped garnets are the centerpiece of the teardrop-shaped pendant. This garnet form is well known in late Hellenistic jewellery and the overall shape is probably that of a vine or ivy leaf - a fertility symbol. Tapering to a fine point of flattened granules, the gold frames the garnets with scalloped edges and beautifully accentuates the gems' deep colors.

Medium: Gold, garnet

Dimensions: Pendant length: 1 inch. Strung on an 18-inch 14K gold chain.

Condition: The pendant is intact and in excellent condition overall. It has been set as a necklace using a modern 14K gold braid chain.

Provenance: Vernon Pick (1903 - 1986) private collection assembled in Switzerland in the late 1950's and then by descent to Pick's nephew, Mr. Jim Hanson, Minnesota. Vernon Pick, a middle-aged electrician from Minnesota, turned uranium prospecting into a multimillion dollar proposition. After nine months of fruitless prospecting, Pick discovered uranium 75 miles southwest of Green River, in Emery County in Utah on June 21, 1952. He staked several claims and called them the Delta mines. In Utah, he proved up 300,000 tons of ore that Time magazine called “one of the richest finds in the Colorado Plateau.”. Two years later Pick sold his mine to international financier Floyd Odlum for $9 million and a custom-converted PBY airplane. Odlum renamed the mine the Hidden Splendor, but soon after his purchase the highly touted vein pinched out. Local wags then dubbed the mine "Odlum's Hidden Blunder."