Greek Swan Coin Necklace

More than 2,300 years ago, the ancient Greek city of Klazomenai struck a remarkable series of silver coins.

On one side appeared Apollo. On the other, a magnificent swan raises its great feathered wings, its long neck curving elegantly across the surface of the silver.

The coin was a tetradrachm, struck at Klazomenai in Ionia around 375–360 BC. One surviving example bears the name of the magistrate Mandronax and even preserves the signature of its ancient die engraver, Theodotos.

Creating a coin such as this began with an artist carving the design into a die. Each piece of silver was then struck between engraved dies, transferring the image onto the metal. The slight irregularities left by this process give ancient coins their unmistakable character.

It is the extraordinary swan on the reverse that inspired the Greek Swan Coin Necklace.

Its curved neck, raised wing and individual feathers have been transformed from ancient silver into a golden pendant, while the irregular coin-like edge recalls the hand-struck character of the original.

Once an image carried through the ancient Greek world as currency, the Swan of Klazomenai can now be worn more than two millennia later.