MEDIEVAL ENGLISH ROCK CRYSTAL PENDANT BEAD

This is a natural rock crystal pendant dating to about 1550-1600. It is 9.7 mm high, about 4/10” and hand cut and polished from a natural rock crystal gem stone. The natural cleavage which shows through proves that it crystal and not glass. It is tear shaped which I believe is called rose cut but I am not sure. The facets are somewhat irregular as expected from that time. It was a common shape for the period. See Jewelry Through 7000 Years, British Museum Publications, page 180 for identical pendants of amethyst from the Cheapside Hoard in the British Museum. This one was part of an English hoard as well and several such jewelry stashes trace their history to the English Civil War. Burying valuables was a common practice as it was the safest way to protect them from theft and pilferage by invading armies. Naturally, of all that was buried, some was forgotten, some not found and of course some owners were driven out, captured or died and their buried valuables lost until metal detectors allowed their discovery. The amount of detector discoveries has dropped to a fraction of what they were two decades ago, so we live in a uniquely opportune time period. There is very little effect from burial as they were probably in a cloth or leather bag. DEC9