Gold Necklace French Victorian

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Gold Necklace French Victorian

About the Item

I guess I must have a high threshold for gold necklace appreciation because as I write this text I have only two gold necklaces in my entire store. Unless there is something somehow remarkable about the links or the construction, I'm rather oblivious. This necklace, which I purchased in Manhattan probably a dozen years ago from a tiny store that is no doubt now a Starbucks, is exactly such a necklace. It was in the window of this tiny antique jewelry store and I'd never seen anything like it. Dating from somewhere between the middle and end of the nineteenth century, this 31" French necklace was formed from simple oval gold links that join together what appear at first glance to be individual diamond-shaped pierced panels. But each 10 mm x 4.36 mm "panel" was in fact created from individual gold wires pounded flat and formed into these twisted pretzel shapes, then soldered together. From a distance, the forms look identical; stamped out of a machine. But in reality, each is exactly the same but completely different. Which is to say, crafted individually by a skilled French goldsmith with tremendous precision. Only powerful magnification reveals the evidence of fabrication. This necklace would have required the skill of a surgeon to create and would have taken one person at least a week, if not longer to complete. We now live in a world of 3D printing and that is amazing and wonderful and exciting. But this world? Where this necklace comes from? This world is gone forever. And this necklace stands as evidence that at one point in time, human beings spent one or perhaps two weeks of their lifetime painstakingly creating a necklace from gold; one that would inevitably be worn to the opera, the theatre, out to a six or seven-course dinner with entrees like jellied lamb and salmon mouse. This necklace has been brushed by countless minks and slid against velvet, silk, cotton and bare skin for more than 100 years. It remains as sturdy as the day it was made. And perhaps only more beautiful. The necklace has the most luxurious drape. It slides between your fingers like a dense, warm liquid. Never does a time-smoothened link catch on anything. Over the years the 18k gold has turned the color of European butter, which is so much more yellow than pale American butter. Even from afar this necklace has strong visual appeal. Its outline is striking. Up close it's breathtaking. You could add a pendant to it. And if you double it and have a petite neck, it'll rest atop your collar bones, so it's quite versatile. A 30-ish inch gold necklace is a jewelry wardrobe staple. But just because it's a staple doesn't mean it has to be dull. Something can be simple yet quite complex. This is the perfect necklace for the person whose life is a balance of fine details.

Metal:
18k Gold
Weight:
11 g
Dimensions:
Length: 31 in (787.4 mm)
Style:
Victorian
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
Mid-19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1850's - 1900
Condition:
Beautiful condition. Hallmarks present but worn.
Seller Location:
Southbury, CT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU158916908112