Gold heart-shaped jewelry originating from the 10th century found in Bulgaria may have belonged to Queen Maria Lakapene, wife of Tsar Petar I.
23 carat premium gold heart found in Bulgaria. Photo: Trudaily.
Stoycho Bonev and Radostina Georgieva, two associate professors from the National Research Institute and the Archaeological Museum in Sofia, found the heart-shaped gold ornament in the town of Veliki Preslav, northeastern Shumen province. Bulgaria, Archeology in Bulgaria reported on October 15.
The gold heart is 4 cm wide and 3.5 cm long with 5-color enamel, including sky blue, green, rose red, white and ivory. It originated in the 10th century, during the reign of Bulgarian Tsar Petar I (927 – 969).
“The heart is made from high-grade gold of more than 23 carats and is a decoration attached to clothes,” Bonev said.
This jewelry is made using the lattice enameling technique, which means a silicon mixture is cast in a gold or silver mold to create small cells, which are then covered with colorful glass powder, creating enamel layer.
From the date and skillful details of the golden heart, the archaeological team speculates that it may belong to Queen Maria Lakapene, wife of Tsar Petar I. This is an important archaeological artifact, as well as a masterpiece. jewelry so no one can estimate its true value.
“Many similar jewelry have also been found, but they are made from silver or copper so they are cheaper. Since the Preslav gold treasure was discovered in 1978, this is the first time there has been such a splendid jewelry. Such traps were found,” Bonev commented.
