3rd-4th century AD. A gold choker-length necklace with four amethyst beads each with a small pearl bead, hook-and-eye fastener and cross-in-wheel plaque. See Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, items 98, 135, 136, for parallels of chain.19.21 grams, 51cm (20"). Property of a London gentleman; acquired by his father in the 1970s; thence by descent. Chains such as the example here are typical of Roman jewellery from the 2nd century AD onwards. They belong to the Isthmion typology, meaning 'chain-column' or 'snake-chain', with each double loop passing through the previous two loops, creating a substantial and compact chain with a round or rectangular cross section.