A
jewellery chain is a metal chain used in jewellery to encircle parts of the body or to support decorative charms and
pendants. Jewellery chains are typically made from precious metals such as gold and silver, and have been worn since antiquity, with examples known from ancient
Babylonia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. This gold chain, dating from the late 16th century and now in the collection of
Livrustkammaren (the Swedish royal armoury), comprises 48 oval links alternating between garnet-set and rock-crystal-set designs, decorated with blue and white enamel. It may be a smaller version of
King Charles IX's chain for the
Order of Jehova, created in 1607, although another theory suggests that it was made by the goldsmith Ruprecht Miller and worn by
King Gustavus Adolphus at his declaration of authority in 1611.
Artefact credit: possibly Ruprecht Miller; photographed by Erik Lernestål
