Gold Turtle Necklace from the Kingdom of Colchis, (modern-day Georgia/South Caucasus), c. 450 BCE [2425 x 4320]

Gold, weight: 85.905 g. Thirty-one pendants in the form of charming turtles make up this necklace. One large central turtle and 30 smaller turtles. The eyes of the thirty small ones were done with glass inlay, while those of the large one are of gold. The carapaces are decorated with granulation. The archaeology and artifacts of Colchis are intermingled with Greek and Persian motifs and local styles and traditions. Metalworking, whether in gold, silver, iron or bronze, was a traditional focus of Colchian art and craftsmanship.

thats turtles all the way down.