Age Circa: Antique C. 1920
Markings: Unmarked, Tested, Guaranteed
Country of Origin: China
Brand: --
Gram Weight: 38.5 Grams
Metal Type: .925 Sterling Silver
Material: --
Main Stone: Turquoise
Main Stone Measurements/Color: Green hues
Accent Stone: Salmon Coral, Agate
Accent Stone Measurements/Color: Salmon, White
Stone Treatment: The stones appear to be untreated, but we are not certified Gemologists and cannot be sure.
Stone Cuts: Bead/Carved
Item Measurements: The necklace chain measures 18" in length. The pendant including the dangle measures 3" by 1.5".
Closure/Clasp Type: The necklace has a hook to unclasp but it also big enough to go over the head.
Link Type: Hook/Ladder Chain
Pendant Type: The pendant is a beautiful handcrafted repoussé Foo Dog face. It has hand-chased designs and many other intricate details to it.
Notable Features: The necklace features handmade Art Deco craftsmanship. There are natural and polished beads throughout the necklace that were hand carved. These beads are made out of Chinese Turquoise, Salmon Coral, and Whit Agate. The colors within the stones show age but are still very vibrant.
Damage: Age appropriate wear.
This beautiful piece comes from the Art Deco Era! The Art Deco Era is famous for being the "Gatsby" or "Roaring Twenties" era. Many gorgeous and timeless designs in jewelry resulted from this period.
During the Art Deco Period jewelers often made jewelry upon custom order, this would often take weeks to months to craft entirely by hand.
Chinese export jewelry became popular during the late Victorian Period and lasted until the 1960's. In a lot of ways, Chinese export jewelry fashioned what we know of jewelry today. During these periods, Chinese craftsmen, including jewelers and stone cutters, were considered by far the best in the world.
The wealthy would have a piece custom-ordered through their local jeweler. The jeweler then drafted a design which was sent to China to be hand-crafted and sent back. As you can imagine, this process was not cheap. It resulted in rare pieces and only few have survived until today.
Chinese stone cutters were considered some of the finest artisans in the world during the Vintage Era. They would carve western themes as well as the more rare traditional eastern themes into their many pieces.
Turquoise is considered by the Chinese as the second most valuable stone, the first being Jade. Chinese turquoise was highly prized due to its rarity and gorgeous bright blue hues. As shown in this piece, the more rare stones contain a spider-web-like matrix.
Precious coral is harvested almost exclusively in the Mediterranean off the coasts of Italy, France, Spain, Algeria, and Tunisia. Salmon coral has widely been valued as the rarest and most beautiful of all coral types. During the Art Deco Period, only the richest of the rich could afford to have this form of coral harvested and imported to Europe and North America.
Agate is a variety of chalcedony formed from layers of quartz which usually show varicolored bands. It usually occurs as rounded nodules or veins.
Repoussé is an ancient metal-working technique. It involved shaping malleable silver first formed with an uniquely crafted three-dimensional mold. After the silver was formed from the mold, it was then further refined by hammering from the reverse side which added details to the front. The finished work was an intricate piece with grooves, indentations, and channeling. The silver was then polished, which was the final step to create these eye-catching treasures.
The chasing technique is a very difficult silversmith process where the artist uses a nail-like tool and hammer to hand-etch patterns within the metal work. Only the best jewelers were trained in this challenging process.
Lavalieres, named after a mistress of Louis XIV, are necklaces that include a fairly long chain or small link necklace that ends in a single large pendant or tassel and may have additional pendants or tassels dangling from it. The style is usually associated with turn-of-the-20th-century jewelry and remained popular until the 1930s.
