Saxon pendant

Facts

• The gold pendant was found in the neck area, with a large silver intaglio ring and two glass beads, probably forming a necklace. An iron buckle was found in the chest area. 

• The pendant is made from a gold disc surmounted by a ribbed suspension loop, tapering on the reverse side and soldered to the back of the disc. In the centre are two concentric circles of flat garnets around a circular bossed ‘cabochon’ garnet with a slightly flattened top. The garnets are fitted into gold cells, set above sheets of cross‐hatched gold foil. The outer sector of the disc is divided into four panels, and inside each is a series of discontinuous triple beaded filigree wires which form interlaced snakes, each with a head identifiable only by the arching of the outer wire. The back is plain. In good condition with some signs of wear.

• Pendants are not unusual in 7th century graves in England, although only 19 other gold ones are known. The garnets in this pendant are unevenly cut suggesting they have been recycled, i.e. reset from another piece.

• We cannot claim that the pendant was the work of a particular goldsmith in the Solent/Sussex area, but it is possible. It could have been made in Kent or by a Kentish‐trained goldsmith, though some features are not Kentish. A Frisian connection is also possible.