Necklace, gold

Four ounces of gold worked into a chain or collar and worn at the throat. This is regalia: the piece a noble house puts on for a court, an oath, or a funeral, and the piece a ransom is counted against when the house is short of coin. Gold chain can be paid out link by link, so a necklace of this weight is as much a reserve of wealth as an ornament, and is often the last thing sold.