LOS ANGELES, CA.- This 'Amarna' necklace will be sold at public auction on March 15th 2014 in Los Angeles, California as part of Mr. & Mrs. Goddard & Josephine Dubois' collection of necklaces, jewelry and artifacts acquired during their excursions in Egypt at the turn of the 20th Century. This 'Amarna' necklace among others was exhibited at Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) from 1920 for the opening of the Egyptian Jewel Room.

'Amarna' comes from a specific archeological site in Egypt called Tell el-Amarna which dates back to the 18th Dynasty, specifically 1352-1336 BCE, during the reign of Pharaoh Akenaten. He moved the capitol of Thebes to this site for worship and radically changed the religion from many gods to one supreme god Aten. The excavations here show a very unique style of art moving to more realistic depictions of the natural world.

The ring bezels on this necklace are very colorful and are made of glazed composition also called 'faience' and were probably strung together by Josephine Dubois herself. Many thousands of molds and faience amulets and rings were excavated at Tell el-Armana. The rings were believed to be given out at festivals not to wear but as a votive offering and the amulets were for protection holding magical properties. Because the Amarna period was so short lived in the Dynastic Egyptian timeline and also because Tutankhamen may have been related to Akenaten, it makes this necklace all the more valuable.

There are a number of 'Amarna' necklaces in the auction presented exclusively by Midnight Sun Antique Auction Co. including a gathering of grape cluster amulets. All the 'Amarna' necklaces were catalogued (1919) by the 'Met' museum. With the fact that all museums are looking at provenance for any ancient acquisitions, it makes the Dubois' ancient jewelry and artifacts a very important collection. The general public will have the unique opportunity to bid on these museum quality pieces.

For more details go to www.midnightsunauction.com.