WWYD... garnet necklace

[Starzin]

First let me say that I adore this necklace, just as I adored my grandmother and retain vivid memories of her wearing it. However - she died in my teens (a loooong time ago) and I've never worn it, just plain awkward to fit into my style/wardrobe/occasion.

As the only granddaughter, I inherited her jewellery and I would love to make use of this before I die!

I have no immediate family to leave it to and only distant cousins (other side of the family) whom I haven't seen in 20 years and who would probably only sell it anyway. While it's early 20thC it wasn't particularly valuable the last time an appraiser looked at it - about $300.

Even the drop earrings don't suit me. I once tried to get the "stalk" shortened so that they would suit me but the jeweller refused on the basis that they were lead soldered. Something about exploding Enlighten me on that if you can.

The garnets are matched in colour except for one earring. Looks like they are all rhodos except for that one which is probably almandine. My feeling is that perhaps the rhodo was the original centre of the necklace and it was shortened and they couldn't match it.

Playing with it yesterday to take photos, I realised I could probably remove the pendants from the necklace and then I would have a bracelet! Now that I would wear often! But then what could I do with all the pendants - yes I could use one by itself for a pendant necklace but then I'd still have four plus the earrings.

The earrings are about 9x7mm oval
rounds about 5mm + three 7x5 and two 6x4 ovals
Rose gold plus seed pearls.

What would you do PSers? Any and all suggestions welcome

 

[chrono]

Oh my word, Starzin!

Lucky, lucky you to be the very fortunate recipient of such a lovely garnet set. I would so love to wear it, even if I stayed home all day. Ahem....anyway, sentimental fool that I am, I would alter it as little as possible, being that the value of the piece is in its design itself, which is incredibly unique and not seen/replicated today.

I wonder if the reluctance to shorten the earring stem is due to the danger of the lead solder being toxic? Bummer, wish I knew more about metallurgy to be able to give some suggestions. Any chance of a neckshot?

 

[WhitePeonia]

Starzin -

I would sell it TO ME, and I would promise to give your garnets a loving home
I apologize for "jumping in" your thread so out of the blue: I have been on this forum for quite sometime but seldom have the courage to "expose" myself.
However, when I saw your necklace-earring set I could not refrain

Your set is feminine and elegant.
You may wear it with informal clothes as well as with a more elegant attire, and it will always give you that "extra something".
It tells about femininity but also tradition and heirloom.

Wear it in good health and do enjoy it

 

[deskjockey]

Starzin -

I would sell it TO ME, and I would promise to give your garnets a loving home

You beat me to it!

In your shoes, Starzin, I'd probably wear the tar out of that necklace, even just to go to the grocery store. It's really beautiful! But if it's not you, I think your idea of removing the danglies and turning it into a bracelet might be the next best thing. Obviously, with such memories of your grandmother you want to keep it "in the family" with someone who will appreciate it (you!) but just leaving it in a box all the time won't bring you much joy/fond memories. My worry would be that messing with the necklace may bring you some problems, if the construction is similar to the earrings.

Really beautiful stuff

 

[JewelFreak]

Starzin, the more I look at your necklace, the more charmed I am. It's such a sweet Victorian design & well made! I'm in love with the little vine tendrils & pearly leaves.

If you would wear it as a bracelet without the pendants, then why not? I think your grandmother would rather you enjoyed it that way than that you leave it in a drawer or sell it. Imagine how you'd feel with a granddaughter of your own -- the same, right?

How about having the pendants & earrings un-set & having the seed pearls & at least some of the garnets put into totally new settings? Maybe a ring with the leftover garnets?

The piece is a real treasure, whatever you do with it -- graceful feminine pretty design. I look forward to seeing what you decide.

--- Laurie

 

[SparkliesLuver]

If you would wear it as a bracelet without the pendants, then why not? I think your grandmother would rather you enjoyed it that way than that you leave it in a drawer or sell it. Imagine how you'd feel with a granddaughter of your own -- the same, right?

How about having the pendants & earrings un-set & having the seed pearls & at least some of the garnets put into totally new settings? Maybe a ring with the leftover garnets?

I have to agree with Laurie, Starzin. I know my grandmother told me that she'd rather have all of us (who got some of her jewelry) make it our own and actually wear it as opposed to it sitting in a box somewhere only to be forgotten. She said she realized her stuff may not be our taste but that hopefully part of it lived on with us, even if it wasn't the exact piece she left us.

I love sentimental pieces too. I'm excited to see what you decide.

 

[pregcurious]

Starzin, I can't speak for you, but I can try to answer your question of what I would do. I would alter it to fit my tastes, but keep as much of the original design as possible.

I don't wear much jewelry, and my style is quite simple, so I would wear this with a simple black dress.

I have a moonstone necklace that I am trying to alter, and I cannot find someone to do the work on the Argentium silver. I have the general feeling that the people who have metal working skills do not want to do this kind of work, and they would rather create things.

 

[digdeep]

Starzin, would you be willing to put this set on and post a picture of it when worn? It looks beautiful to me too (and I'm not usually enamored with 'sets'), but it is individual preference........and it is your's. How would it be if the earrings were modified to match the necklace in a curvy sort of way? Just wondering........

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I think you could wear this with a white tee to show it off. Sometimes it takes wearing something several times to get used to the new look. How people used to hate chunky. It is a period piece and it takes getting used to. Before changing it, try wearing it --to the store. Its really pretty, so delicate.

Annette

 

[Starzin]

Aaah... I'm so touched that the necklace found favour with you all.

Chrono
Yes, I do consider myself fortunate to own this and you're right that I've never seen anything like the design anywhere else. I don't know about the toxicity of the lead solder but can't imagine bench people come across it a lot. Surely a mask for one teensy earring operation could have been used?

Unlikely neck shot - for one thing: no batteries till I get more, I used my last two for these. I managed to get about 10 shots from my Canon (PowerSh9t A1200) and uploading them to the computer (iMac) seems to suck the life out of them instantly. Does anyone else have this problem? and second thing: I have a thick neck and the pendants turn much more on me the moment I move my head than they did on my grandmother - somehow they always looked just right on her. Third thing:: my mother's mole-y skin... not an attractive look unfortunately and seems to get worse as I've gotten older just as hers did. A cousin termed it "the Williamson skin" - my mother had five sisters and yep, most of them had it

WhitePeonia
Thank you soooo much for "exposing" yourself to comment and for offering to re-home the necklace You see it's power... it entrances and delights just to look at it. Thank you for your kind wishes.

deskjockey
So many of you willing to re-home the garnets - and I can't say I'm surprised, I love this and I've always loved it. *sigh* I understand what you're saying and it doesn't bother me most of the time to not be able to wear it because I know I have it and can admire it any time I want. I haven't explored altering it with a jeweller so I don't know if there are similar problems however I've just rechecked the pendants and the lead solder does appear to be confined to the earrings.

JF - Laurie
Thank you Laurie for your sweet words... excuse me while I, ummm, clear my throat. I won't be running out to do this next week. I wanted to see what others thought of the idea and what suggestions they might make. The idea of altering it to wear as a bracelet has just occurred to me so I'm sure it will take a little while to get comfortable with, if ever, because something inside me is still screaming "NOOooo!" since I'm tearing up writing these replies to you all. I'm so conscious of changing a beautiful thing. I think for that reason alone I wouldn't mutilate the pendants if I did remove them for a bracelet but I could have the two smallest stalk ones made into another set of post earrings to wear. At least they would be the same colour!

Sparklies
Thank you, I absolutely understand what you're saying because my mother once told me that my grandmother had her wedding ring cut in half - it was apparently a very wide half barrel that she had reduced to about 3mm wide (I don't ever remember her wearing a wider one). The sentimental and emotional value of this is huge for me, so as I said, it probably won't happen anytime soon but the thought process has started - I'm not one to rush into these things

Preg
I would alter it to fit my tastes, but keep as much of the original design as possible. This is what I am playing with in considering the bracelet idea and errm... the LBD seems to be pretty much a thing of the past for me Have I missed a thread about your moonstone necklace? A fine jeweller rather than an artisan jeweller perhaps or have you tried that route?

digdeep
Ummm... not really but I will post a better picture next week when I get more batteries if the thread is still around. The surprising thing is that the garnets are very sparkly despite the fact they are shallow and windowed, you don't see the windows and they don't look like black blobs. The jeweller was reluctant to modify the earrings because of lead solder so that leaves me with long hook earrings that really don't suit me or removing the outer-most pendants from the necklace and making a new pair.

Smitcompton
On Annette - I've tried You've no idea how many times I've thought "I wonder..." and put it back but thank you for the supermarket superstar idea!

Thank you to you all for your ideas and responses and most of all, your admiration of the necklace - it's lovely to know that others share my enthusiasm for it. It feels quite strange to show it off since my friends are not jewellery/gemstone buffs and I'm not sure any of them know I've even got it!

 

[lilmosun]

Count me in as another who think its perfect "as is". I think the design lends itself to being a statement piece that is still classic/vintage in style - something you could wear every day as the perfect to accessory to with a solid colored blouse/shirt jeans and still classy enough to wear in the evening out.

Without knowing your style/tastes, I don't know why it doesn't suit you...its such a versatile yet unique piece.

Have you tried wearing it? I have often bought things at the urging of friends that aren't my usual and often surprised by the results. Some of those things actually become favorites simply because they are different from my norm. The sentimental value of wearing a piece that was your grandmother's and compliments you'll get from others might make you change your mind

 

[LD]

OMG Starzin that set is absolutely beautiful. I love it so much.

Having said that, if you won't wear it like it is then you will need to change it (but it breaks my heart to say that). I don't know what it is that is stopping you from wearing it so it's a bit difficult to offer suggestions but having said that ..........

Looking at the necklace you could detach the centre piece from the rest of the necklace As in my diagram and then simply add a complimentary chain onto both sides. So it's less fussy. You could then wear it as high or low as you wanted. A shorter length would look lovely with the drop.

You could then make a bracelet by turning one of the drops around and getting a jump ring soldered onto either end of the drop and fix that between the curly bits linking it round to make a bracelet. I think you would have a couple of the drops left over so you could add those to the earrings. A good jewellery could simply take the stones out of the centre attached to the ear wires and replace the top half of the earrings if there's an issued with integrity. I hope that makes sense?

 

[Starzin]

lilmosun
Without knowing your style/tastes, I don't know why it doesn't suit you...its such a versatile yet unique piece.
Thank you for liking it as is. Yes, I have tried wearing it but each time I put it on it somehow looks too *formal* no matter how dressed up or down I am!

LD!!!
Lovely for you to comment here - thank you and thank you also for your appreciation and ideas of this very sentimental set. When I said "use the centre pendant as a pendant", I didn't even think of using the scrolls either side as well! If I'd thought of it, I probably would have done that years ago - however taking it apart is what always stops me, so call me a sentimental fool.

However, your idea and an extrapolation of it is something I could contemplate since it preserves much of the design and character and would give me a suite of earrings, necklace and bracelet that I could - and would - wear.

However that does leave the bit left too short for a bracelet and I would face the problem of always having the bit of chain and catch on top. I do get what you mean about using perhaps the (matching plum) earring lengthways in the middle. Though you suggested one of the other drops, I would probably cut the stalk and leaves from the almandine and attach it to the other side of the large (plum) earring in the middle before putting in place. So that the middle large garnet has a stalk and leaves both sides. I would see the two smallest pendants being converted to new (post) earrings and perhaps the almandine just put on a chain without trying to fit it into the suite.

That would leave me with the three pendants in the middle - perhaps two of those could also be put in sideways to lengthen the bracelet bit. Leaves me with what is currently the centre pendant of the necklace.

Keep going with this idea... and many, many thanks!

 

[chrono]

My Paint skills have not improved any but it's better than trying to put my idea down in words. You can tweak the placement of the scrolls to suit. By attaching the drop stones sideways, you are lengthening the bracelet, thereby making it fit your wrist. I think this is also what you wrote above?

 

[LD]

My Paint skills have not improved any but it's better than trying to put my idea down in words. You can tweak the placement of the scrolls to suit. By attaching the drop stones sideways, you are lengthening the bracelet, thereby making it fit your wrist. I think this is also what you wrote above?

Thank you Chrono - that's EXACTLY what I meant for the bracelet!

Starzin - I don't think you're going to have much left over if you make the bracelet and necklace like this BUT to make sure you do you can add a few jump rings in the bracelet between sections to give you a bit more length OR as it's already got tiny seed pearls you could add in some tiny small pearls. It probably looks very daunting but trust me, this is bread and butter to somebody who makes jewellery and very very easy to do.

 

[Starzin]

My Paint skills have not improved any but it's better than trying to put my idea down in words.

Aaaaw... thank you soooo much for bringing your Paint skills in to play for me. It does help to envision it more.

And yes as LD confirms, that is what we all have now grasped except I hadn't thought of putting the other pendants into the bracelet as well. I might try and do a cut 'n paste myself.

LD you're right again - a few jump rings could also be used in there if necessary.

 

[JewelFreak]

Starzin, would you wear the necklace more without the pendants? If you left it as is, except made the pendants detachable? The charm of the design, imho, is in the lovely vine tendrils & if the pendants are inserted sideways for a bracelet, they kind of interrupt that graceful line. You mentioned the necklace is too formal for you, but what if it didn't have the pendants -- then you could wear it even with a t-shirt. Just a suggestion. I agree with your reluctance to do much to it because it is just so special!

--- Laurie

 

[Starzin]

Yes, I probably would and I do see what you mean about interrupting the flow of the swirls. I don't know that there is a way to make the pendants detachable because the rings they attach to the rounds with are tiny.

But it's definitely another option Laurie, thank you

 

[Starzin]

However that way I could then make a bracelet out of the pendants by joining them together with little bits of chain? Hmmm...

 

[chrono]

However that way I could then make a bracelet out of the pendants by joining them together with little bits of chain? Hmmm...

Yes, I like this idea too, as it involves less messing around with the necklace. By removing just the drops, you'll have a scroll + stone necklace. Then you can use the drop pieces as the bracelet, linked together with more chain type links.

 

[Starzin]

Yes, it now gives me two possibilities while keeping some of the integrity of the original necklace.

 

[LD]

You can easily have made (or buy) a detachable clip that would go on the top of the drop piece so you could take it on and off. The problem is matching the colour of the metal. It looks like rose gold? If so, that may be problematic because rose gold comes in so many different shades and I suspect the set has darkened over time somewhat.

As you know, I make jewellery so if you give me the measurements of each of the components (and the bracelet length you need) I can work out if you need any more components to add to the bracelet. Looking at it, I don't think you do as I reckon you will get a 7" bracelet out of what you have even using two scrolls and a drop for the necklace.

 

[Starzin]

You're right in that it is old rose gold which I agree, probably has darkened as well. so matching might be a bit of a problem.

The current very fine chain I wear with a couple of small diamonds is 7.5" incl ring clasp and it's snug, I think the garnet one would have to be 8". But the pendants are all different lengths and it's past midnight so I'm off to bed rather than start measuring because tomorrow is a busy day but thank you so much for offering LD - I do appreciate it. I just may not get back to this for a day.

So how's the sideline going?