Kalevala Koru Häme ceremonial necklace / Paradise | Vintage

Adorning the magnificent necklace are two long-necked birds, presumably peacocks. Peacocks were considered inhabitants of paradise, symbols of heavenly splendor and immortality. Below the birds is a stemmed chalice of the water of life. The arched frame of the ornament is believed to symbolize a church vault. The ornament features a paradise symbol from early Christian art, where paradise represented the Kingdom of Heaven. The ornament is modeled after a necklace found in Kernaala, Janakkala, dating back to the 8th-9th centuries.