Gold and Silver --- Gold and Silver Wares Unearthed in Shaanxi, China

Han Jianwu graduated from Northwest University with a major in archeology and has long

been engaged in cultural relic protection and research. He is the deputy director and researcher of Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Conservation and Restoration Center.

Liu Peng graduated from Northwest University with a major in archaeology and has long been engaged in cultural relic protection and research. He is the deputy director and researcher of the Cultural Relics Restoration Center at Shaanxi History Museum.

Shaanxi has a long history of civilization and had once shaped brilliant material and spiritual civilizations in the Zhou， Qin， Han， and Tang dynasties. Precious and beautiful gold and silver wares from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties have been unearthed in Shaanxi. In particular， the gold and silver wares of the Tang Dynasty unearthed from Hejia Village and Famen Temple in Xi’an were magnificent and wonderfully crafted. They are mainly housed in the Shaanxi History Museum and Famen Temple Museum， as well as the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology and various municipal museums. This book showcases more than 120 pieces （groups） of ancient gold and silver wares unearthed in Shaanxi Province. They are primarily daily utensils， decorations， Chinese medicine tools， reserve and trading currency， ritual tools， handicrafts， etc. The graphics are clear， and the text is concise and precise. This book is a representative work that gives further insight into another aspect of life in ancient China.

Gold and Silver --- Gold and Silver Wares Unearthed in Shaanxi， China

Shen Juan et al.

Shaanxi Sanqin Press

2017

GOLDEN NECKLACE

Sui Dynasty

Circumference 43 cm， length of hanging crystal 3.1 cm， weight 91.25 grams

Unearthed from Xi’an city

This necklace is composed of 28 golden spheres， and each one is embedded with 10 pearls， most of which have shorn off. These golden spheres are connected by a chain braided with golden multi-stranded wires. They

are divided into two lengths， on the right and left sides. The two upper ends are linked by a golden circular button， which is embedded with a dark blue bead incised with a reindeer. At the sides of the button are golden hooks clasped onto two rings， and two rectangular ornaments inlayed with Lapis-lazuli to the opposing sides of each loop.

The two lower ends of the spheres are linked by a golden circle and in it is embedded a Bloodstone. Around it are inlaied a total of twenty-four pearls. On each side are two golden squares inlaied with blue beads. After that are circles on each side， also inlaied with blue beads and surrounded by ten pearls. The lowest is a heart-shaped ornament， which consists of a crystal fixed in gold. This necklace was originally inlaied with 320 pearls， but most have fallen off; right now there are only 98 left.