An image shared on Facebook claims to show a 4,000-year-old Egyptian necklace.

Verdict: False

The necklace was created in modern times and submitted to a 2004 art contest. The artifact is neither 4,000 years old nor Egyptian in origin.

Fact Check:

The image shows what appears to be an elegantly designed necklace that was allegedly created in ancient Egypt. The image’s caption identifies it as a “4000 year old Egyptian necklace” located in “Museum Tahrir.”

However, the necklace is neither from ancient Egypt nor 4,000 years old. (RELATED: Does This Image Show Egypt Projecting The Palestinian Flag Onto The Pyramids?) 

A reverse image search revealed the alleged artifact in the photo is actually a beaded necklace created by artist Sherry Serafini for the 2004 edition of “Bead&Button’s Annual Bead Artistry Competition.” The image featured in the Facebook post can be found on Fire Mountain Gems and Beads website, which notes the photo had previously been shared by the Bead & Button Magazine. The magazine ceased publication in 2020, according to the Craft Industry Alliance.

Serafini confirmed in an Instagram direct message to Check Your Fact that she created the necklace featured in the Facebook post. Her work is not based on Egyptian styles, but rather from “combining modern materials with beadweaving techniques learned from Native American and Victorian styles,” according to her biography on the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads website. Similar neckpieces can be found on Serafini’s website.

Kathlyn M. Cooney, a professor of Ancient Egyptian Art & Architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Check Your Fact in an email that the necklace did not look to be an Egyptian design: “It doesn’t look like any ancient Egyptian jewelry displayed at the Egyptian Museum Tahrir that I know of, no. It might include some ancient faience beads restrung, but really it looks more medieval.”

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir did not respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to include Serafini’s confirmation.