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Pendant drop

80A1849

This tear-shaped pendant drop, recovered from a chest on the orlop deck of the Mary Rose, consists of a copper alloy (which was probably originally gold-plated) wirework cage enclosing a bead formed from copper alloy sheet, which is bent over at the top.

Similar cage-work can be found in wire beads on paternosters of the period, but the construction here suggests a terminal pendant from a tassel, possibly attached to the sword found alongside it. It was found in an officer’s chest alongside a variety of personal possessions including combs, a knife handle, and a cowrie shell.