The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-06
JEWELRY WORN BY ROMANS IS FOUND Best GOldsmiths of Today
 Copy Ancient Work IS DELICATELY MADE Siren Playing on Lyre' in New York Museum Is Another Ex-
 ample of Ancient Art-Safety
 Pins Are Not Modern
IS DELICATELY MADE

From the New York Sun.
 American and other archaeologists who attend the international congress no doubt be particularly interested in the recent discoveries made on the site
 of the ancient city of Ostia by Profes- sor staglleri. which include fine speci-
 mems of gold jewelry used by Roman women centuries before Christ. The layman also has an interest in these
 finds because copies of ancient jewelry
 made by modern goldsmiths are now worn by women of fashion throughout the civilized world.
 An archaeological declared recently that many of the best goldsmiths of the present day are but copyists when it comes to the production of jewelry. In support of this assertion he cited the beautiful handicraft which may be seen
 on exh ieftion in the Metropolitan Muse um of Art In New York and in muse- ums at Cairo, Paris, London, Rome and elsewhere Some of these are so ex- quisitely executed that even the bes. goldsmiths of the present day could hardly excel them.
 1t requires no expert knowledge to pass judgment on the beauty, excellence and originality of the work of the goldsmiths who lived centuries before Christ Any intelligent lay observer can judge of these qualities for himself by visiting the gold room in the Metropolitan Muse- nm of Art There. for instance, are a number of pieces of ancient Greek jew elfy, purchased with the income Of the Rogers fund, which are of extraordinary beauty. Among them are a necklace. a | t..s.. r..f... seven rosettes in the form of small flow
 CTS and 19 beads from a necklace, all O, the pure yellow gold which was custom
 arily used by the Greeks for their coins
 and the better class of their jewelry. Technical characteristics, design and execution make it possible to date these in the fourth century B. c. They repre-
 sent the art ef the Greek geldsraiths at i the highest stage of it's development. l to understand why the Greek woman, with the keen insight for beauty which | distinguished her race, should have pre- 1 ferred specimens of such delicate crafts
 rnanship for her personal adornment rather than the glitter of precious stones. l The necklace is only l2ss inches long and is of a type not uncommon in Greek l iewelry, consisting of closely woven
 braid of fine gold wire, from which pend-
 ants are suspended by intertwining chains, with rosettes at the point of attachment. ] It has three rows Of pendants, all of
 Which are of the usual amphora shape, i pointed at the bottom.
 Those of the upper row are very small
 and linked directly to the ornaments | below the braid Those of the middle row are somewhat larger and are sus- lpended by short chains, with tiny dise
 at the junction of each chain and pendant,
 and those of the lowest row are consider able larger and more elaborate than the l other. In this TOW each pendant Is hung | bv two chains, and the chains aro fas- | tened ny rasettes both to the pendant | and to the braid above.
 Perhaps there is no better way of ap-