Moon Gorget

Beginning in the early 18th century, Colonists presented American Indians with diplomatic gifts of silverwork, such as this gorget, one of the most desired types. By mid-century, trade in these silver ornaments was widespread, and many American silversmiths, such as William Hollingshead of Philadelphia, specialized in trade silver. In European Medieval armor, the gorget was a steel collar designed to protect the throat and support the weight of the suit of armor worn over it. By the 18th century, the gorget had been transformed to a much smaller, crescent shaped silver ornament that hung by chains or ribbons around soldiers' necks as a badge of rank. This circular, convex "moon" gorget with an engraved sun face recalls the aboriginal shell ornaments worn around the neck by Indians.