Tairona Necklace 8th-16th Century Turquoise, Shells, Carnelian And Gold Tumbaga

Pre-Columbian Tairona necklace, dated between the 8th and 16th centuries, made of turquoise, shells, carnelian, and gold on copper (tumbaga). Archaeologists have divided the history of the Tairona people into three phases corresponding to characteristic changes in their society: Tairona 1 from 950-1350 AD, T2 from 1350-1500 AD, and finally T3 from 1500-1600 AD. Tairona 3 overlaps with the Colonial period, which refers to the Spanish conquest, lasting approximately 1500-1650 AD. The end of Tairona 3 is the effective end of the Tairona people as a distinct culture. Pre-Columbian Indians traded gold for salt, tropical bird feathers, or emeralds. It was to compensate for this lack of pure gold that goldsmiths mixed it with copper, thus creating the famous Tumbaga using a lost wax manufacturing method.