Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

The Chalcolithic period (or "copper stone age") is a modern designation for the transitional period between the Neolithic ("new stone age") and the Bronze Age. It is uncertain if the pieces in this group of jewelry were found together, but all reflect early jewelry-making techniques and can be stylistically linked to the region of Anatolia (modern Turkey). The pierced shells represent manipulation of a found material to make beads, and the cut carnelians are the product of a standard method for creating beads. For the other items, sheet gold was used in various ways: it was flattened and cut into shapes, formed into hemispherical disks and beads, and decorated with reliefs.