19th c. Amethyst Rivière Necklace: Can it be fixed + need help designing earrings

[Emerald City]

Hello again, lovely jewel enthusiasts! I posted a couple of days ago about needing help for my first full-blown ring design project, and I cannot thank you enough for the help I have received! People brought up issues that never crossed my naive little mind, and that thread made me realise I need to tread cautiously as I am a true newb at designing jewelry. Yet here I am, diving into a second project! (Is designing two pieces simultaneously madness??)

I'd promised in that thread to post separately about my beloved amethyst rivière necklace, so here it is. 14k yellow gold, with green and rose gold accents in the form of rosebuds and leaves. The amethysts are huge and stunning! It is really old and I acquired it from the great-granddaughter of its original owner; it has a Cuban-style chain extender that is obviously not original, and there are bits missing from its intricate stone settings. I took it to my jeweler to see if I could get the missing parts re-made, but he said that the use of lead as solder by previous jewelers meant that it cannot be worked on, ever. I guess I hold out hope that perhaps someone, somewhere, can still fix it! Was he right? Is there no hope for filling the holes left by parts falling out?

The second thing is that I have NO amethyst earrings to speak of, so I never wear the poor thing. I want to design earrings to match, but I'm not sure what would complement the necklace the best. I was thinking of making reproductions of the amethyst settings and having dangle earrings, with three amethysts per earring. The smallest amethyst would be a stud on my ear (but with the same setting as the amethysts in the necklace, only smaller), then a larger amethyst, then an even larger amethyst at the bottom. All three would have the same settings as the amethysts in the necklace, which would mean somehow copying the settings but changing the size of said settings.

How does my idea sound? Please let me know if you need a picture to help you see what I mean. Now on to the photos of the necklace!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Well isn't that just lovely!! Hmmm... so, naturally, I understand why the jeweler you consulted would not want to work with a lead solder. But I'm not sure why he couldn't simply incorporate modern solder to repair the piece? Perhaps I'm all wet, as I'm not a jeweler myself! But I would definitely seek a second opinion. Also, I like your idea of creating matching earrings to the necklace stations. What a fetching ensemble that would make. Wish I could be more help, but our true PS artisans should be along shortly to further assist. Good luck!

 

[Karl_K]

You need to find someone who is skilled with that type of necklace.
I would contact Dave Atlas and see if he can recommend someone
He posts on PS as @oldminer and he rocks.

https://datlas.com/

 

[Karl_K]

oh and I absolutely love that necklace it is way kewl!

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

Wow! That is gorgeous. You definitely should be rocking it!

You need a bench that is used to working on period pieces. In my limited experience, a laser welder, which is more expensive, is what my jeweler uses in that kind of situation. I don’t know any off-hand, but I am sure there are bench jewelers who can handle your job.

The earring idea is awesome. I look forward to seeing other’s suggestions.

Everyone starts as a beginner! You will learn a lot and have fun!

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Beautiful, and what a rich, enchanting shade of purple!
We'll need a photo of you wearing the finished piece.

 

[Emerald City]

Well isn't that just lovely!! Hmmm... so, naturally, I understand why the jeweler you consulted would not want to work with a lead solder. But I'm not sure why he couldn't simply incorporate modern solder to repair the piece? Perhaps I'm all wet, as I'm not a jeweler myself! But I would definitely seek a second opinion. Also, I like your idea of creating matching earrings to the necklace stations. What a fetching ensemble that would make. Wish I could be more help, but our true PS artisans should be along shortly to further assist. Good luck!

I definitely understand his not wanting to work with lead, as well. But to say that the necklace can NEVER be worked on, EVER? Maybe that is true, but I want to make sure this is the case before I give up on it. The little holes where pieces fell out make me kind of sad. I know it's an old piece and that is par for the course, but if it can be fixed in such a way that the integrity of the piece is retained, then why not fix it?

Also, thank you so much for the compliment! I LOVE this necklace, and I feel a little bit like Liz Taylor when I wear it around the house, LOL. (Yeah, right.) I sometimes put on one of my tiaras and just sit and feel fancy for a few minutes.

 

[Emerald City]

oh and I absolutely love that necklace it is way kewl!

Thank you!!! I LOVE this piece! It is well made for its type, even with the missing bits. I got it for an insane deal because its previous owner was desperate for cash to move. I just need some earrings...

Thank you also for the recommendation! I will reach out to Dave Atlas and see what he says.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I definitely understand his not wanting to work with lead, as well. But to say that the necklace can NEVER be worked on, EVER? Maybe that is true, but I want to make sure this is the case before I give up on it. The little holes where pieces fell out make me kind of sad. I know it's an old piece and that is par for the course, but if it can be fixed in such a way that the integrity of the piece is retained, then why not fix it?

Also, thank you so much for the compliment! I LOVE this necklace, and I feel a little bit like Liz Taylor when I wear it around the house, LOL. (Yeah, right.) I sometimes put on one of my tiaras and just sit and feel fancy for a few minutes.

I'm confident that a more industrious metalsmith will be able to help you! I have heard good things about this jeweler, but I can't speak from personal experience. They are in California... I'm not sure how convenient that is for you. Again, best of luck! I'm really interested to see an "after" shot of this beauty!!

Antique & Vintage Jewelry Restoration - Fox Fine Jewelry

Restore your antique and vintage jewelry by one of the top Master Jewelers in the U.S.! Trust family owned Fox Fine Jewelry to restore your jewelry.

www.foxfinejewelry.com

 

[Emerald City]

Wow! That is gorgeous. You definitely should be rocking it!

You need a bench that is used to working on period pieces. In my limited experience, a laser welder, which is more expensive, is what my jeweler uses in that kind of situation. I don’t know any off-hand, but I am sure there are bench jewelers who can handle your job.

The earring idea is awesome. I look forward to seeing other’s suggestions.

Everyone starts as a beginner! You will learn a lot and have fun!

Thank you! That is a lovely compliment. I adore this piece. I used to be kind of "meh" about amethysts, but I saw this necklace for a killer price and decided, what the hell. Well, call me an amethyst convert! I wear it around the house sometimes, but I feel weird wearing it in public because I have no earrings that even remotely go with it. I am an earrings and necklace kind of girl, for sure. They don't have to match, but they at least have to complement one another, and I have nothing that goes with it. I am desperate for a pair of earrings to go with this lovely piece!!!

My jeweler does have a laser welder, and still said that it would be impossible to work on this necklace because of the lead solder. In addition to reaching out to Dave Atlas (thanks again, @Karl_K!), I will find some other local jewelers and get their opinions. I just keep thinking - this cannot be the only antique piece with lead solder, surely there must be a way to fix it!!

 

[Emerald City]

Beautiful, and what a rich, enchanting shade of purple!
We'll need a photo of you wearing the finished piece.

Thank you so much!! I'm close to blushing here, haha. I feel the amethysts are rather enchanting myself. As I mentioned to another poster, this necklace converted me to an amethyst fan. They are scrumptious! And the ones in this necklace in particular are fine examples, being eye-clean (several of them are close to flawless) and a really rich, deep purple. They also match perfectly, which takes some doing. I'll happily post a photo or three of the set when it's done, fingers crossed!

As an aside, I wonder what the original chain or closure used to look like.

 

[Emerald City]

I'm confident that a more industrious metalsmith will be able to help you! I have heard good things about this jeweler, but I can't speak from personal experience. They are in California... I'm not sure how convenient that is for you. Again, best of luck! I'm really interested to see an "after" shot of this beauty!!

Antique & Vintage Jewelry Restoration - Fox Fine Jewelry

Restore your antique and vintage jewelry by one of the top Master Jewelers in the U.S.! Trust family owned Fox Fine Jewelry to restore your jewelry.

www.foxfinejewelry.com

Wow, thanks!! I appreciate that so much. I will reach out to them and see what they say. Hopefully between Dave Atlas, Fox Fine Jewelry, and maybe some local jewelers, someone will have a solution!! *fingers crossed*

 

[Autumn in New England]

Wow, thanks!! I appreciate that so much. I will reach out to them and see what they say. Hopefully between Dave Atlas, Fox Fine Jewelry, and maybe some local jewelers, someone will have a solution!! *fingers crossed*

 

[Karl_K]

Earrings, im picturing longish pear shape stones in hook drop earrings.
Engraved Gold bezels with stones matching the color of the ones in the necklace.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

wow what a necklace !
now i know next to squat but i refuse to beleave it cannot be restored
in fact it would be a crying shame to own that and not have it repaired

i love older amethyst pieces because they have the lovelly setttings you just dont see today because amethyst is so often just put into yuck cheap settings because it is now so plentiful
good luck with the earings too

 

[Emerald City]

Earrings, im picturing longish pear shape stones in hook drop earrings.
Engraved Gold bezels with stones matching the color of the ones in the necklace.

I really love that idea! Elegant, complementary but not matchy-matchy, and still a statement. Thank you for the idea! I now have to re-think my earring idea. In the ring thread, people told me to chill my jets and focus on one project at a time, so I decided to do the ring for now. But I'm still wanting to find amethysts for these earrings in the meantime, which I really don't think is that crazy, and I love your idea so much that I have put a stop to searching for oval amethysts and am looking at pear-shaped ones.

As an aside, I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Real life popped up and drew me away from the fun that is PS for a few days. (Grr.)

 

[Emerald City]

wow what a necklace !
now i know next to squat but i refuse to beleave it cannot be restored
in fact it would be a crying shame to own that and not have it repaired

i love older amethyst pieces because they have the lovelly setttings you just dont see today because amethyst is so often just put into yuck cheap settings because it is now so plentiful
good luck with the earings too

Thank you so so much! What a compliment!!

I agree with you, it HAS to be repairable, right??? My heart refuses to believe otherwise. I need to reach out to the lovely people recommended by PS - I was going to do that on Monday but stuff came up that needed to be dealt with first.

I agree with you - before amethysts were found in such huge numbers, they were treated with the respect I feel they are still due but aren't getting. I HATE modern amethyst jewelry! I tried looking for modern-made earrings instead of custom, but I have no words for how ugly I find all of the modern settings. Something about that rich purple demands intricate settings, at least according to my sensibilities. It is SO good to hear that someone else feels the same way!

Thank you for the good wishes. I am not giving up on the earrings, but I am going to focus on my custom ring for now. However, I am going to look for the amethyst stones for the earrings I would like in the meantime. @Karl_K kindly shared a design idea which is most fetching, so I must decide upon a final design first. I thought I had, but his pear idea is striking!

Once I alight upon a final idea, I hope it can be brought to life. I met with my jeweler yesterday to ask about making the earrings with custom settings matching the necklace, and he said it would be insanely expensive because making settings like that is time-consuming. Which I knew, but I also got the feeling he didn't want to mess with it?... Maybe I'm assuming something wrongly there. At any rate, it's back to the drawing board.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thank you so so much! What a compliment!!

I agree with you, it HAS to be repairable, right??? My heart refuses to believe otherwise. I need to reach out to the lovely people recommended by PS - I was going to do that on Monday but stuff came up that needed to be dealt with first.

I agree with you - before amethysts were found in such huge numbers, they were treated with the respect I feel they are still due but aren't getting. I HATE modern amethyst jewelry! I tried looking for modern-made earrings instead of custom, but I have no words for how ugly I find all of the modern settings. Something about that rich purple demands intricate settings, at least according to my sensibilities. It is SO good to hear that someone else feels the same way!

Thank you for the good wishes. I am not giving up on the earrings, but I am going to focus on my custom ring for now. However, I am going to look for the amethyst stones for the earrings I would like in the meantime. @Karl_K kindly shared a design idea which is most fetching, so I must decide upon a final design first. I thought I had, but his pear idea is striking!

Once I alight upon a final idea, I hope it can be brought to life. I met with my jeweler yesterday to ask about making the earrings with custom settings matching the necklace, and he said it would be insanely expensive because making settings like that is time-consuming. Which I knew, but I also got the feeling he didn't want to mess with it?... Maybe I'm assuming something wrongly there. At any rate, it's back to the drawing board.

i loved @Karl_K 's idea too
while i am overjoyed you now own and treasure and will lovingly restore the necklac (and give it matching earrings) i feel sad the lady who inherited it cant have loved it
as just because she needed cash to move (its not exactly a new kidney kind of reason) seems a sad way to let it go

i have faith you will perserve and it will all be splendid when its finished
some things just take perserverence and time

maybe its too much for your jewler
i like to think of the really good jewlers as artists
and who wouldn't want to make earrings to match that necklace ??
why dont they just say
im sorry i dont have the skill set to do your idea justice

 

[Karl_K]

why dont they just say
im sorry i dont have the skill set to do your idea justice

Ego.

Another option for the earrings that would match is a wire setting for the long pears with 1 or 3 medallions that match the smaller links on the necklace at the point of the pear at the top.
That would cost far less than matching bezels and match just as well with the look of the necklace.
I would use slightly larger pears for this one than the bezels.

 

[Emerald City]

i loved @Karl_K 's idea too
while i am overjoyed you now own and treasure and will lovingly restore the necklac (and give it matching earrings) i feel sad the lady who inherited it cant have loved it
as just because she needed cash to move (its not exactly a new kidney kind of reason) seems a sad way to let it go

i have faith you will perserve and it will all be splendid when its finished
some things just take perserverence and time

maybe its too much for your jewler
i like to think of the really good jewlers as artists
and who wouldn't want to make earrings to match that necklace ??
why dont they just say
im sorry i dont have the skill set to do your idea justice

Good jewelers are indeed artists. Their work is notable for being exceptionally neat, with milgrain, prongs, etc. being notably even. The 'basket' that comprises bezel settings is uniform in thickness and symmetrical (i.e., a rectangle instead of a rectangle that missed and became a trapezoid). You just know it when you see it. My husband and I were discussing the jeweler's reaction, as well as the work we saw in his book of custom-made projects. We both think he probably doesn't have anyone on staff who can make settings to match my necklace. The book of custom projects was virtually all of modern settings, which I generally don't like, but that wasn't what bothered me. What I noticed was that the work looked average. Prongs were uneven, milgrain was uneven, bezel settings were irregular. It wasn't bad work per se, but it wasn't exceptional either. A couple of Victorian-style pieces were included, and they just looked sloppy. So perhaps it's best he doesn't want to work on it. But you're right, he should have been honest about it, and that is disappointing. I'm starting to notice that jobs I have brought him that involve intricate craftsmanship instantly bring forth a list of reasons why they can't do that or why it shouldn't be done, so I wind up just taking my damaged pieces home, where they sit, still damaged. He also told me that a gold-plated silver earring cannot be re-plated, but I thought that it could, and I remain confused by that. I will need to seek a second opinion about that as well.

Your words were really sweet and I took them to heart. I am indeed bound and determined to restore this necklace to its former glory, even before I get to the matching earrings. It is such an exceptionally fine piece, and I feel lucky to have it. What I would like to do will take time and I will try to be patient, even though I am DYING to get it fixed and get earrings made!

I actually gave the seller a chance to take the necklace back and just void the sale when she mentioned her reasons for selling, but she assured me that she had gone through her grandmother's extensive collection (she was old-money rich) and chosen pieces she wanted to keep. The seller actually said the pieces she sold were the more simple, everyday pieces! Which blew my mind, because one of the pieces she sold was via auction at either Sotheby's or Christie's, I forget which, and it was a ruby ring with an investment-grade ruby stone in it. Burmese, unheated, pigeon-blood, and HUGE. That was three years ago and I wish I had kept the link to the auction as well as saved an image; I didn't quite realise until seeing that ring the level of wealth I was interacting with. So rest assured, she doesn't miss the necklace. I hope her grandmother would have been okay with my purchasing it, as I truly love it and am taking very good care of it.

She is also where I got a strand of pearls that are so high-quality they look metallic, with a clasp consisting of a 1-carat marquis diamond set in platinum. The diamond is D-IF and I really want to re-set it in something, but I can't decide on a setting I like. But I digress. Both of these pieces were mindblowing to me, but the seller was like "meh" about them. I remain curious to this day about the pieces she chose to keep (most of which did not share with me, of course)! Some of it was antique furniture from Europe, Japan, and China (her grandmother had lived in Japan for a while). She had a gorgeous jade necklace that I wish I had bought, as it was basically the best jade you can get, but at the time I knew jack about jade and so it didn't catch my eye. I still don't like jade as much as emeralds, but at least I have a better appreciation for it now; it can certainly be stunning. You can bet I will kick myself about that one for a while!!!

 

[Emerald City]

Ego.

Another option for the earrings that would match is a wire setting for the long pears with 1 or 3 medallions that match the smaller links on the necklace at the point of the pear at the top.
That would cost far less than matching bezels and match just as well with the look of the necklace.
I would use slightly larger pears for this one than the bezels.

I hate to think of my jeweler being too egotistical to admit to not being able to do the work, but that may be the case. As I noted in the above reply, the work his bench jewelers do is just average in my opinion. Someone like David Klass or Sako does work that instantly makes itself notable via the neat, expert quality of the workmanship; it stands out because it looks so perfectly made. The work done at my jeweler's surprised me with its lack of attention to detail, among other things.

I am getting a little frustrated with my jeweler. Most of the time if I ask him to fix something (most of the pieces I inherited from my mother were too badly damaged to wear), he says it can't be done or that I shouldn't do whatever it is. I am starting to think my jeweler views the jobs I bring him as not worth his time. And if that is true, I wish he would just say that. I'm a big girl and I will not hold it against him, I'll go ask someone else, but telling me it can't be done is just not right because I trust him and believe him. I have started to look for second opinions locally, though, because of the following: Recently I brought him a labradorite ring set in silver that had an unfortunate run-in with Tarn-X over a decade ago (which is one reason why I never use that mess anymore as it destroys jewelry). The labradorite stone had a sort of dull stain on top. My jeweler said it was not fixable and that he would not even try to fix it. I asked him to at least try to fix the stone as it wasn't wearable with the stain on it and I thus wouldn't care if he destroyed it in the process of trying to fix it; I even offered to sign any form he wished to indemnify him of any possible damage to the ring because I considered it a write-off with the stained stone. But he refused. My intrepid husband bought some insanely fine-grained diamond sanding stuff and sanded the stone for me, and the ring looks good as new! (He is awesome!) Why couldn't my jeweler have done that???

I LOVE your second earring idea and I am going to sketch out all these possibilities to better visualize what I would like, etc. Thank you again for taking the time to reply so thoughtfully; my husband and I both love the pear ideas. I love a stud on the ear, so maybe a small round amethyst that then connects with a pear. I just can't stop thinking about the pears, I'm obsessed!!

 

[Karl_K]

so maybe a small round amethyst that then connects with a pear.

bezel to match necklace around a round or small oval then with drop pears.
Awesome!!!!!!

 

[Emerald City]

UPDATE: WE FOUND SOMEONE LOCALLY WHO SAYS THEY CAN FIX IT!!!! We are waiting on an estimate from them, but I am BEYOND THRILLED that they say they can fix my necklace!!!!!!!! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone; it is because of this thread that I decided to go ahead and seek a second opinion.

 

[Emerald City]

bezel to match necklace around a round or small oval then with drop pears.
Awesome!!!!!!

I think this is a serious contender! A huge amethyst pear would look so freaking amazing. I think that cut would complement amethyst very well. I tend to think amethyst looks its best in more faceted cuts, whereas emerald cut amethysts don't look so good to me. Thank you, @Karl_K!

 

[Emerald City]

...Aaaaand I just noticed the new jeweler bent my 14k herringbone necklace that I'd brought in for cleaning. I am going to go bang my head against the wall. I am so tired.

 

[Karl_K]

...Aaaaand I just noticed the new jeweler bent my 14k herringbone necklace that I'd brought in for cleaning. I am going to go bang my head against the wall. I am so tired.

wow that just sucks

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Good jewelers are indeed artists. Their work is notable for being exceptionally neat, with milgrain, prongs, etc. being notably even. The 'basket' that comprises bezel settings is uniform in thickness and symmetrical (i.e., a rectangle instead of a rectangle that missed and became a trapezoid). You just know it when you see it. My husband and I were discussing the jeweler's reaction, as well as the work we saw in his book of custom-made projects. We both think he probably doesn't have anyone on staff who can make settings to match my necklace. The book of custom projects was virtually all of modern settings, which I generally don't like, but that wasn't what bothered me. What I noticed was that the work looked average. Prongs were uneven, milgrain was uneven, bezel settings were irregular. It wasn't bad work per se, but it wasn't exceptional either. A couple of Victorian-style pieces were included, and they just looked sloppy. So perhaps it's best he doesn't want to work on it. But you're right, he should have been honest about it, and that is disappointing. I'm starting to notice that jobs I have brought him that involve intricate craftsmanship instantly bring forth a list of reasons why they can't do that or why it shouldn't be done, so I wind up just taking my damaged pieces home, where they sit, still damaged. He also told me that a gold-plated silver earring cannot be re-plated, but I thought that it could, and I remain confused by that. I will need to seek a second opinion about that as well.

Your words were really sweet and I took them to heart. I am indeed bound and determined to restore this necklace to its former glory, even before I get to the matching earrings. It is such an exceptionally fine piece, and I feel lucky to have it. What I would like to do will take time and I will try to be patient, even though I am DYING to get it fixed and get earrings made!

I actually gave the seller a chance to take the necklace back and just void the sale when she mentioned her reasons for selling, but she assured me that she had gone through her grandmother's extensive collection (she was old-money rich) and chosen pieces she wanted to keep. The seller actually said the pieces she sold were the more simple, everyday pieces! Which blew my mind, because one of the pieces she sold was via auction at either Sotheby's or Christie's, I forget which, and it was a ruby ring with an investment-grade ruby stone in it. Burmese, unheated, pigeon-blood, and HUGE. That was three years ago and I wish I had kept the link to the auction as well as saved an image; I didn't quite realise until seeing that ring the level of wealth I was interacting with. So rest assured, she doesn't miss the necklace. I hope her grandmother would have been okay with my purchasing it, as I truly love it and am taking very good care of it.

She is also where I got a strand of pearls that are so high-quality they look metallic, with a clasp consisting of a 1-carat marquis diamond set in platinum. The diamond is D-IF and I really want to re-set it in something, but I can't decide on a setting I like. But I digress. Both of these pieces were mindblowing to me, but the seller was like "meh" about them. I remain curious to this day about the pieces she chose to keep (most of which did not share with me, of course)! Some of it was antique furniture from Europe, Japan, and China (her grandmother had lived in Japan for a while). She had a gorgeous jade necklace that I wish I had bought, as it was basically the best jade you can get, but at the time I knew jack about jade and so it didn't catch my eye. I still don't like jade as much as emeralds, but at least I have a better appreciation for it now; it can certainly be stunning. You can bet I will kick myself about that one for a while!!!

i bet that grandma would be happy you are restoring the necklace
its one of the most breath taking pieces i have seen on PS
if you lived a lot closer to me i would invite you and that necklace to some sort of corrination tea party for King Charles, next May

im sure you will find a jewler who will do it justice
the necklace just looks like it has lived a grand life

 

[HHtv]

i bet that grandma would be happy you are restoring the necklace
its one of the most breath taking pieces i have seen on PS
if you lived a lot closer to me i would invite you and that necklace to some sort of corrination tea party for King Charles, next May

im sure you will find a jewler who will do it justice
the necklace just looks like it has lived a grand life

Agreed!

True old money does not discriminate (especially if they learned from the revolutions).
I am sure she is happy someone is wearing it and appreciates it enough to restore it and care for it. It's truly beautiful.

Good jewelers are indeed artists. Their work is notable for being exceptionally neat, with milgrain, prongs, etc. being notably even. The 'basket' that comprises bezel settings is uniform in thickness and symmetrical (i.e., a rectangle instead of a rectangle that missed and became a trapezoid). You just know it when you see it. My husband and I were discussing the jeweler's reaction, as well as the work we saw in his book of custom-made projects. We both think he probably doesn't have anyone on staff who can make settings to match my necklace. The book of custom projects was virtually all of modern settings, which I generally don't like, but that wasn't what bothered me. What I noticed was that the work looked average. Prongs were uneven, milgrain was uneven, bezel settings were irregular. It wasn't bad work per se, but it wasn't exceptional either. A couple of Victorian-style pieces were included, and they just looked sloppy. So perhaps it's best he doesn't want to work on it. But you're right, he should have been honest about it, and that is disappointing. I'm starting to notice that jobs I have brought him that involve intricate craftsmanship instantly bring forth a list of reasons why they can't do that or why it shouldn't be done, so I wind up just taking my damaged pieces home, where they sit, still damaged. He also told me that a gold-plated silver earring cannot be re-plated, but I thought that it could, and I remain confused by that. I will need to seek a second opinion about that as well.

Your words were really sweet and I took them to heart. I am indeed bound and determined to restore this necklace to its former glory, even before I get to the matching earrings. It is such an exceptionally fine piece, and I feel lucky to have it. What I would like to do will take time and I will try to be patient, even though I am DYING to get it fixed and get earrings made!

I actually gave the seller a chance to take the necklace back and just void the sale when she mentioned her reasons for selling, but she assured me that she had gone through her grandmother's extensive collection (she was old-money rich) and chosen pieces she wanted to keep. The seller actually said the pieces she sold were the more simple, everyday pieces! Which blew my mind, because one of the pieces she sold was via auction at either Sotheby's or Christie's, I forget which, and it was a ruby ring with an investment-grade ruby stone in it. Burmese, unheated, pigeon-blood, and HUGE. That was three years ago and I wish I had kept the link to the auction as well as saved an image; I didn't quite realise until seeing that ring the level of wealth I was interacting with. So rest assured, she doesn't miss the necklace. I hope her grandmother would have been okay with my purchasing it, as I truly love it and am taking very good care of it.

She is also where I got a strand of pearls that are so high-quality they look metallic, with a clasp consisting of a 1-carat marquis diamond set in platinum. The diamond is D-IF and I really want to re-set it in something, but I can't decide on a setting I like. But I digress. Both of these pieces were mindblowing to me, but the seller was like "meh" about them. I remain curious to this day about the pieces she chose to keep (most of which did not share with me, of course)! Some of it was antique furniture from Europe, Japan, and China (her grandmother had lived in Japan for a while). She had a gorgeous jade necklace that I wish I had bought, as it was basically the best jade you can get, but at the time I knew jack about jade and so it didn't catch my eye. I still don't like jade as much as emeralds, but at least I have a better appreciation for it now; it can certainly be stunning. You can bet I will kick myself about that one for a while!!!

When you come from Old money, you are surrounded by those things are you grow up, so it's more "normalized", which is why some people seem out of touch, because it's just an everyday thing. The rest comes from education and exposure to the fact that it is a great responsibility to have that kind of wealth and to do your best to spread it around to help people where and when you can.

I will forever kick myself over a 3ct edwardian diamond ring i came across in an antique shop in Austria that looking back i should have jumped on - it was before i knew more about antique diamonds and all that jazz we come across here on ps (and education).

You could always check over the online catalogues for the auctions and see if you spot the ruby again - if you think it's worth the detective work. I am sure we would all love to see it.

Can't wait to see the next evolution of this piece, it's fantastic!!

 

[Emerald City]

wow that just sucks

Yep. It is such an awkward situation. The manager accused me of lying & I told him to look at the store tapes, where he would see his sales clerk taking my necklace, piling it into a figure 8, and pinching it between thumb & forefinger. Very easy to damage a herringbone necklace that way. I meant to check it before we left but I got distracted discussing the amethyst necklace (we were there for almost 3 hours). He and I are meeting tomorrow and I sincerely doubt he is going to make this right. I'm taking my amethyst necklace elsewhere; if this is how they handle store mishaps, then I don't want to do business with them.

 

[Emerald City]

i bet that grandma would be happy you are restoring the necklace
its one of the most breath taking pieces i have seen on PS
if you lived a lot closer to me i would invite you and that necklace to some sort of corrination tea party for King Charles, next May

im sure you will find a jewler who will do it justice
the necklace just looks like it has lived a grand life

You are very sweet. I would have been honoured to bring my necklace to your tea party. I used to host tea parties for my friends and it is a lot of fun making the little tea snacks, getting out the nice china, etc.

I am honoured that you said my necklace is a stand-out piece here. PS has some astoundingly fine pieces so I am humbled that this necklace merits attention. I truly treasure it and I am determined to get it repaired/restored. (Just not with this jeweler - the way they handled their damage to my herringbone necklace is shameful.)