Thanks for your comments and your suggestion - that the metal mounts (or caps) on the amethyst pendants may originally have been covered with kingfisher feathers. Certainly, i've seen examples of chaozhu where that was the case. But as I remember them the area covered by the feathers was somewhat wider and more flat than any surface available for them here. Also, the white metal (low-grade silver) on this necklace is gilt all over and that seems odd to me if it was intended afterwards to have feathers stuck on top of it. But I'll continue to keep the idea in mind. And thank you too for the link to the article about the conserved hair decoration that's now in Perth - fascinating!

Cheers,

Will