This beautiful pendant is based on a finding from Grötlingbo on Gotland. It is made of bronze with a mounted amethyst.
The original is now housed at the Historical Museum in Stockholm and can be viewed here: Grötlingbo.
There are several finds from the Viking Age in Gotland with silver-mounted rock crystals. They seem to have been worn by women and have been found both as individual finds and in larger quantities.
These findings can be divided into two main categories: those that are round and those that are more flattened. The round ones seem to be from the late Viking Age or early Middle Ages, while the flattened ones date back to the early Viking Age. There are at least two finds from Gotland with a mounted amethyst, but most had rock crystals. In Scandinavia, the only finds are from Gotland, but there are similar gold-plated flat, round, and rectangular pendants found in Hedeby.
A few of the round finds could have been used as magnifying glasses because the crystal is shaped in such a way, and there is therefore a perception that they were also used in that way. This is highly uncertain. They are all set in a way that makes them beautiful pendants rather than tools.
Completely spherical rock crystals from the 6th century, mounted in gold and silver, have also been found in other parts of Europe, including Merovingian and Mongolian cultures. These amulets have a slightly different style but also show similarities.
Here are other similar findings from Gotland: A beautiful necklace with various silver beads and silver-mounted rock crystals: necklace, and one from Fardhem with a mounted amethyst: Fardhem.
Includes a black cord with adjustable length.
