Ancient Carnelian Tairona Bird Pendants, Crystal Beads, and 22k Gold Clasp

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Ancient Carnelian Tairona Bird Pendants, Crystal Beads, and 22k Gold Clasp

About the Item

Nineteen agate bird pendants each faced with carnelian round beads said to be from the Tairona people of Colombia, South America. These groups are all spaced with rock crystal barrel beads. There are twenty-two rock crystal beads, the largest is 2.2 cm in length, 9 mm in width with a drill hole that is 3 mm in diameter and tapers towards the center of the bead. The smallest is 8 mm in length, 7.5 mm diameter at the center of the bead with a tapering drill hole of 3 mm. The carnelian beads are mostly oblate or flattened spheres; some are straight cylinders with flat ends. There are four longer cylinder carnelian beads at the back of the necklace. The largest pair at the center are 7.2 mm in length and 1.1 cm in width. The drill holes are 2 mm. The smallest carnelian beads are 4 mm in length and 6 mm in width. The tapered drill hole is 2.2 mm at the opening. The carnelian cylinders at the back are 9.5 mm in length and 6.5 mm – 7 mm in width. The drill holes are large, 4 mm and tapering slightly towards the middle. The large bird pendant in the center of the necklace is 5.8 cm from beak to tail. It is 1.5 cm at the widest point where the neck meets the body. The drill hole is 3 mm in diameter. There is an impact chip out of the bottom of the breast but it does not compromise the curve on the underside. There are bulging eyes on either side of the head. The next bird is 3.5 cm from tip to tail and 9 mm in width at the widest point. The drill hole is 2.5 mm in diameter. The next smallest is 3 cm in length and 9.6 mm in width. The drill hole is 2.5 mm in diameter. There is some slight damage to the underside of the breast as in the large center pendant. The birds steadily decrease in size the smallest being just 1.4 cm in length and 5.5 mm in width with a drill hole diameter of 2.5 mm. The larger birds are made of agate with a slightly greenish to off white translucent color with more opaque areas of reddish brown to brown color. The smaller birds are carnelian, orange with some banding of white quartz. The forms of the birds are abstracted and seem to depict the birds sitting with legs drawn under. They could easily be depictions of nesting birds, or perhaps water birds floating on the surface of the water. The beads and pendants were all shaped without the use of metal tools, the holes being drilled with bow drills and abrasives, the forms being cut with string saws and abrasives and then ground and polished. The use of these techniques influences the forms of the objects and contributes to the simplification and abstracting of the shapes. For instance, the eyes on the center pendant are made by removing, literally grinding away, material from around the eyes, leaving the bulges emerging from grooves around the eyes. The drilling technique, the use of a wooden shaft with abrasives, causes the holes to taper as the shaft is worn down by use. Drilled from each end, the holes make an hourglass shape and the diameter in the center where the holes meet is often less than half the diameter of the hole on the outside edge. The hand-made custom clasp and beading tips are 22k gold. The necklace is 21 ¼ inches (54 cm) in length. The necklace weighs 117 grams.