Tortoiseshell necklace

Tortoiseshell necklace, 2.86 x 1.27 x 0.64 cms. (each), gold, c. 900-1520 CE, Mixtec, Dumbarton Oaks, Pre-Columbian Collection, Washington DC

Gold and greenstone were materials reserved for the Mexica nobility. They marked the status of the wearer, setting them apart from the commoners and closer to the gods. Mixtec artists were included in the Mexica court and excelled in the production of gold ornaments such as large pendants and necklaces.
This gold necklace is made of sixteen spheres decorated with incised zigzags and circles in the stylised shape of a tortoiseshell...
In this necklace each shell is cast from a separate mould using the lost-wax technique. The three tassels forming the lower part of each piece are made using false filigree casting and were part of the same moulds.

From Moctezuma Aztec Ruler, exhibition catalogue (edited by Colin McEwan and Leonardo López Luján), British Museum Press, 2009, p. 95.

Photo © Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian Collection, Washington D.C., courtesy of and thanks to the Registrar and Collections Manager / Museum, Dumbarton Oaks.