Antique diamond and enamel necklace

[Cynthadia]

Hi everyone:

This is my first post to this forum. I hope someone can help me identify this necklace.

A little bit of history on this necklace. My partner's parents were avid collectors of antiques. His father collected Asian artifacts and his mother collected jewelry of all periods. Both parents died about 4 years ago. When my partner and his 3 siblings divided up the jewelry (and there was a TON of very high end stuff), nobody wanted this necklace. Actually, it was discovered in my partner's mother's costume jewelry box.

At first, my partner and I thought it was costume. Just for grins, we took to an appraiser. Here's what the appraiser had to say:

Ladies 9, gold, diamonds and enamel necklace
>> Metal content: 36.2 grams total weight
>> Setting technique: prong set and bead set
>> Condition: good
>> Manufacturing technique: fabricated
>> Manufacturer: unknown
>>
>> The necklace is a fabricated Georgian style necklace with 23 separate
>> parts, each separated from the next by a single knuckle hinge Each
>> link is a geometric style motif with approximately 214 diamond bead
>> and prong set through the piece (Rose cut natural diamonds, 2.1-7mm,
>> I1-I2, I-J, approx. 5.0 cts total weight). On each piece is a blue
>> enamel bar. The entire piece is 18 inches total length with a
>> fabricated chain. Unmarked tested 9k. See photo for design details.
>>
>> Estimated manufacture 1800 based on style and techniques of
>> manufacture and materials used. Estimated to be made in England.

The apprisal was done in October 2009. Since then, I've done everything I could to research the necklace. We believe the chain was added at a later date. Also, insofar as the gold content, I don't remember the appraiser testing anything but the chain.

In my search of Georgian era jewelry, I have not come across anything even remotely resembling this necklace. When someone pointed out to me that it could be Victorian, I started looking at Victorian necklaces. It looks more Victorian to me more than anything else. However, I've been told that it probably is early Victorian, which overlapped the Georgian era.

I'd love to hear anyone's opinion about the necklace, including ideas as to when it was made, etc.

Thanks.

 

[Cynthadia]

Here are some better (enlarged pictures). Sorry, I forgot that had compressed some of the pictures earlier.

Thanks.

 

[Ninama]

Can't give you any info, but holy moly - what a treasure!

 

[LGK]

Stylistically it looks early-to-mid Victorian to me as well, with the prongs holding the rose cuts, and the rose cuts themselves. Also the floral motif was very popular for diamond necklaces- those little floral bits right above the large diamond dangles are classically Victorian in style. The chain also looks to be a marriage to me as well- wrong style. Unmarked 9K would be period-correct for Georgian and Victorian pieces both. And yeah, it can be hard to exactly date something by style since obviously not every jeweler would follow trends exactly- some would be way ahead of their time, some would keep using old techniques after popular style had moved on. So you're not likely to ever be able to pinpoint the time period exactly unless you, but utter random chance, find another piece that matches it and that one has good documented provenance. Not likely in other words! But yes, it looks very early-to-mid Victorian to me, not so much Georgian.

Also, many of the diamond necklaces with rose cuts from the later Victorian era had a LOT of Art Nouveau influences, and this one really doesn't show that. So I don't really think it's later Victorian. I'd guess somewhere between 1820-1870. Ish.

It is a lovely piece. I'd wear it in a heartbeat! I'd get it insured if I were you.

 

[Cynthadia]

Also, many of the diamond necklaces with rose cuts from the later Victorian era had a LOT of Art Nouveau influences, and this one really doesn't show that. So I don't really think it's later Victorian. I'd guess somewhere between 1820-1870. Ish.

It is a lovely piece. I'd wear it in a heartbeat! I'd get it insured if I were you.

Thanks so much for your input.

What especially fascinates me about this necklace is the hinges. All eleven hinges are so tiny. I just wonder how anyone could sit there day after day fabricating each hinge. There are two small (head of a pin size) solder marks on the top of each hinge. The pins that hold the hinges together are no bigger than a mediium-sized needle - if that big. Also, the rectangular shaped "boxes" of blue enamel are each individually soldered.

By chance, do you have or can you direct me to pictures of antique jewelry pieces that are hinged in a similar fashion? I've seen picutres of trembling jewelry, but have not been able to locate pictures of hinges. What I'm hoping is that the practice of hinging was attributed to a particular jewelry maker(s), which would help me date the piece.

Regards,

Cynthia

 

[LGK]

Also, many of the diamond necklaces with rose cuts from the later Victorian era had a LOT of Art Nouveau influences, and this one really doesn't show that. So I don't really think it's later Victorian. I'd guess somewhere between 1820-1870. Ish.

It is a lovely piece. I'd wear it in a heartbeat! I'd get it insured if I were you.

Thanks so much for your input.

What especially fascinates me about this necklace is the hinges. All eleven hinges are so tiny. I just wonder how anyone could sit there day after day fabricating each hinge. There are two small (head of a pin size) solder marks on the top of each hinge. The pins that hold the hinges together are no bigger than a mediium-sized needle - if that big. Also, the rectangular shaped "boxes" of blue enamel are each individually soldered.

By chance, do you have or can you direct me to pictures of antique jewelry pieces that are hinged in a similar fashion? I've seen picutres of trembling jewelry, but have not been able to locate pictures of hinges. What I'm hoping is that the practice of hinging was attributed to a particular jewelry maker(s), which would help me date the piece.

Regards,

Cynthia

There's a lot of hinged jewelry from all time periods when jewelry was made by hand fabrication. For example I have a very delicate platinum filigree Edwardian bow shaped piece (it was converted to a brooch from who knows what, I had it made into a necklace) that has the two loops of the bows attached to the center made with those ridiculously teensy hinges like that. It's not one maker unfortunately, and it was a relatively common practice done across many time periods. (Mine would have been somewhere around 1900-1910, for example.) Sorry!

 

[jewelerman]

please help me out!is this gold yellow or white metal ?If its 9ct.white gold then the piece cant be Georgian or early Victorian because white gold wasn't used in mass for jewelry until after the first world war.It could be gold frame with silver top however...

 

[Cynthadia]

please help me out!is this gold yellow or white metal ?If its 9ct.white gold then the piece cant be Georgian or early Victorian because white gold wasn't used in mass for jewelry until after the first world war.It could be gold frame with silver top however...

No one who has looked at the necklace has even suggested that it is white gold. The chain has been tested at it tests as 9ct. It looks to me as though it is gold foil over silver, although anything is possible at this point.

 

[Cynthadia]

Does anyone have close up pictures of hinge work that is similar to the hinge work posted on my necklace? I'd love to see it.

Thanks.

 

[Cynthadia]

Re: Antique diamond and enamel necklace - updated pictures

Here are some updated pictures of the necklace.

What a difference it makes when there's a good picture.

 

[Cynthadia]

I'm sooo excited...at least for the moment.

I came across an exquisite tiara/necklace advertised by Berganza. http://www.berganza.com/jewellery_ref_11104.htm?search_category_id=5&page_num=6

The necklace on the Berganza site looks very similar in construction to my (really my partner's) necklace.

I just sent an emal to Berganza that included pictures of my necklace. I've asked them to send me close up pictures of their necklace, including the reverse side and hinge work so that I can compare thie pictures to my pictures.

I'm hoping that they'll respond and will let everyone know what they have to say.

With bated breath...

 

[Selkie]

Wow, what a fantastic necklace, and if it is indeed similar to that piece at Berganza, it looks like you got the find of the century. I love the touches of blue enamel. Prong setting was more of a Victorian innovation, so that dates it quite a bit later than 1800.

 

[Cynthadia]

Wow, what a fantastic necklace, and if it is indeed similar to that piece at Berganza, it looks like you got the find of the century. I love the touches of blue enamel. Prong setting was more of a Victorian innovation, so that dates it quite a bit later than 1800.

From what little I know about antique jewelry, or any jewelry for that matter, I agree - it's Victorian and not Georgian.

Now, I'm on the hunt for a similar necklace that has enamel work on it. Can anyone out there show me where I can find such a necklace? After almost two years researching this necklace, I'd be enternally grateful for any direction.

 

[Selkie]

Are you looking to buy one, or just to find more examples of this type? Take a look at Lang Antiques: http://www.langantiques.com, http://www.rubylane.com/, and http://www.faycullen.com/Necklaces--Pendants/.

I don't see any with enamel at the moment, but didn't do an exhaustive search, however this looks somewhat similar in style: http://www.langantiques.com/products/item/90-1-1660, as does this: http://www.langantiques.com/products/item/90-1-1125. Maybe try fringe necklace as part of the search term.

 

[Cynthadia]

Are you looking to buy one, or just to find more examples of this type? Take a look at Lang Antiques: http://www.langantiques.com, http://www.rubylane.com/, and http://www.faycullen.com/Necklaces--Pendants/.

I don't see any with enamel at the moment, but didn't do an exhaustive search, however this looks somewhat similar in style: http://www.langantiques.com/products/item/90-1-1660, as does this: http://www.langantiques.com/products/item/90-1-1125. Maybe try fringe necklace as part of the search term.

Nope, I'm not trying to buy one, just to find one that is similar in construction to mine.

I already visited Lang Antiques many times - sometimes to check to see if they posted a necklace similar to mine and other times for just sheer enjoyment. The same goes for Ruby lane.

The Ruby Lane necklace, although stunning, is quite different from my necklace:

1. Pearls, whereas my necklace has rose cut diamonds
2. The one diamond in this necklace is an OEC, which came after rose cuts
3. The Ruby Lane necklace is 18 karat gold, whereas my necklace is 9 kt
4. I don't see where the Ruby Lane necklace is gold over silver, unlike my necklace which is.
5. The scallops are configured quite differently from my necklace
6. The hinges are different

I saw the Lang necklaces quite a while ago. Specifically, I looked at 90-1-1125. There is no hing work on the Lang necklace. The diamonds are OEC and not rose cut. The diamonds are open, and not foil backed as is my neecklace. I don't see any scallop work in the Lang necklace.

I then looked at 90-1-1660, the second Lang necklace. This necklace, although breathtaking, contains European cut diamonds. There is no hinge work. There is no scallop work.

Next, I looked at 90-91-15, the third Lang necklace. This necklace was 14k and contained old mine cut diamonds, which came after Rose cuts. I don't see any hinge work and the design is not foliate.

Lang used to have a bib/fringe necklace which was advertised as 9k and low quality, rose cut diamonds. It's been a while since I've looked at that necklace, so my recollection of the wording might be wrong. I don't see the necklace on their website anymore, so I assume it's been sold. I don't remember why it didn't "jive" with my necklace, but for some reason I thought it didn't.

I've not been able to find a single necklace in the style of my necklace that has any enamel. The link to Berganza is the cloest I've seen thus far, and that's after looking for almost 2 years.

 

[iLander]

You should send an email to Sothebys and get the email address of their jewelry specialists. Tell them you might be interested in consigning it. They'll have it identified in about ten seconds.

 

[Selkie]

I don't think I linked to a specific Ruby Lane necklace, just the Lang ones. I figured you would have seen those already, with the amount of searching you've already done. It could well be a one of a kind piece, since it's handmade. I'm taking an Antique jewelry class right now, which is taught by a professional appraiser. I'll ask her about additional sources, since I remember her discussing some subscription auction sites that would probably have a greater array of similar pieces. She's also literally written the book on antique jewelry, so I'll show her the photos if you want, and see if she has any more insight.

 

[Cynthadia]

I don't think I linked to a specific Ruby Lane necklace, just the Lang ones. I figured you would have seen those already, with the amount of searching you've already done. It could well be a one of a kind piece, since it's handmade. I'm taking an Antique jewelry class right now, which is taught by a professional appraiser. I'll ask her about additional sources, since I remember her discussing some subscription auction sites that would probably have a greater array of similar pieces. She's also literally written the book on antique jewelry, so I'll show her the photos if you want, and see if she has any more insight.

That would be wunnerfull!!! Thanks....

 

[Cynthadia]

Here are a couple of close up pix of the rose cut diamonds. Note: these are very old rose cuts.

 

[artdecogirl]

Cynthadia, Just wanted to say the new pics really show how stunning this necklace is and wanted to thank you for sharing all of your partners pieces with us here on PS!!!!! (and the new close ups) Truly lovely and interesting pieces, I have really enjoyed seeing them.

 

[Cynthadia]

Re: Antique diamond and enamel necklace - compare

I was looking through some older posts when I came across the first necklace, which was posted by TL. TL reported that he/she had seen the necklace at the the Grainger jewelry exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago. TL stated that the necklace is circa 1850s.

Needless to say, I was stunned to see the first necklace because the style very closely resembles my necklace. Here are the smilarities I observed:

1. Shape of large leaves
2. How "crudely" stones are inserted in leaves
3. Square boxes containing stone
4. How stones are surrounded by scallops
5. Shape of small leaves shaped like an upside down "u"
6. Hinge work

Since the Field necklace was under the Colored Stones section, I have no idea what stones are used in the piece. Any ideas about that?

I sure wish I had a picture of the back side of the Field necklace to compare with my necklace.

So, my next question involves soliciting advice as to how I can track down the maker of the Field necklace. I'd appreciate any ideas out there.

Thanks.