A new exhibition at the Museum of London contains nearly 500 late 16th and early 17th Century jewels and gemstones.
The jewels were discovered in 1912 buried in a cellar on London’s Cheapside; why they were put there remains a mystery. The hoard is being displayed in its entirety for the first time since shortly after its discovery.
The show will display necklaces that were worn in cascading loops of ever-increasing length to the waist.
The collection also includes pearl cage pendants.
Many of the pendants with alternating bands of white enamel and pearls have not fared well with age and have degraded and simply disintegrated.
The Salamander brooch set in gold with emeralds and diamonds is a key piece included in the Cheapside Hoard.
People attending the exhibition will also have the chance to see a gilt brass watch.
Here conservator Catherine Nightingale installs a carved emerald pendant in the shape of heavily laden grapevines.
This purse, in the shape of a frog, is decorated with fine silk and metal thread.
Alongside the jewels, the clothes worn at the time are also on show. The bodice and skirt seen here illustrate blackwork – the working of black wool or silk embroidery on a white background.
This watch with alarm and calendar is signed “G Ferlite” on the back of the movement. It is the only item in the hoard that bears the signature of the maker, and was made in about 1600. The Cheapside Hoard: London’s Lost Jewels can be seen at the Museum of London, from Friday until 27 April.
