The Met Store Necklaces*Mediterranean Coin Pendant Necklace

Art jewelry makes a unique gift for her.

The Met’s Greek and Roman art galleries are home to an expansive collection of ancient coins. Silver and gold currency held intrinsic value during Greece’s Hellenistic period, and an elegant Early Hellenistic gold stater dating to around 323/2–315 B.C. features on this necklace. The detailing on the back of this particular coin indicates that it was produced at the royal mint of Amphipolis shortly after Alexander the Great’s death. Spectacular, sculptural coins bearing the likenesses of emperors, animals, and other pictorial scenes became fashionable in jewelry as far back as the 3rd century.