Georgian Belcher Chain

[JPie]

I’ve wanted a Georgian belcher chain for a while now, but prices are crazy high. They usually run about $2,000 & up for shorter chains. Some are pinchbeck which is great for the historical value, but I wanted solid gold.

I finally found one in December for a reasonable price. It’s solid 15K, and 20” if I recall correctly. She’s currently soaking in the “hot tub” to get 200 years of neck crust off. At least I know it’s actually antique!

It shipped 12/21, fell off tracking 12/26, supposedly went to Helsinki when I called USPS to inquire, and reappeared earlier this week.

I’ll take more pics once she’s fully cleaned up.

 

[Ariadne_Theia]

Wow! I love it! The texture is beautiful.

 

[lissyflo]

I love the chain - it looks great as a necklace and bracelet! But I’m slightly gagging at the idea of “neck crust”!

 

[JPie]

Wow! I love it! The texture is beautiful.

Thanks! I'm going to take some close-ups of it once she's cleaned.

I love the chain - it looks great as a necklace and bracelet! But I’m slightly gagging at the idea of “neck crust”!

Yeah, at one point I literally had the chain simmering on the stove in some soapy water. It has brightened up considerably; the patina was actually just dirt. I can still see the neck crust so I'm going to soak it for a few days with more brushing in between until I stop seeing black stuff flake off.

 

[Ally T]

Neck crust

But vomit aside, the chain is gorgeous, looks nice & heavy & is clearly versatile. Looking forward (very much!) to seeing it clean!

 

[Rfisher]

Boy that would be quite uncomfortable if someone walked into your house, stopped, looked at the simmering pot and mentioned how good your house smelled.
I thought people’s stories of cleaning earrings was bad.
Neck crud vomit gagging -
The chain is gorgeous - And so are the other pieces you show with them.
What a great find.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Dead. That's gorgeous minus the crust of course.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I love the length

New word for today = neck crust
Ewwwww
Why don't people clean stuff before they sell it ?

 

[JPie]

Neck crust

But vomit aside, the chain is gorgeous, looks nice & heavy & is clearly versatile. Looking forward (very much!) to seeing it clean!

Thanks! It looks substantial but is surprisingly light. I think that's due to how the links were made by pressing the pattern into the gold.

Boy that would be quite uncomfortable if someone walked into your house, stopped, looked at the simmering pot and mentioned how good your house smelled.
I thought people’s stories of cleaning earrings was bad.
Neck crud vomit gagging -
The chain is gorgeous - And so are the other pieces you show with them.
What a great find.

Thank you! Luckily, it didn't smell bad when it was simmering.

Dead. That's gorgeous minus the crust of course.

Thanks!

I love the length

New word for today = neck crust
Ewwwww
Why don't people clean stuff before they sell it ?

And who knows how many people's neck crust is on it?

 

[kgizo]

Fantastic find!! It is really lovely.

 

[missy]

Oh it looks gorgeous and so happy you found it at a good price. Looking forward to seeing it on you free of neck crust and all.

 

[JPie]

Thanks @kgizo & @missy !

One of the tiny turquoise cabs on the barrel clasp fell off during the soaking. It looks like someone glued it on. Blah. Will have my jeweler take a look.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

Ooh! Gorgeous.
I’d love to see the before & after!
It’s absolutely beautiful and soulful.

 

[stracci2000]

Thanks @kgizo & @missy !

One of the tiny turquoise cabs on the barrel clasp fell off during the soaking. It looks like someone glued it on. Blah. Will have my jeweler take a look.

More photos! And I would love to see that turquoise clasp.

 

[JPie]

@PreRaphaelite @stracci2000 thanks! It’s still soaking and I have to take it to the jeweler tomorrow. The turquoise cabs on the clasp appear to be glued on replacements. I took these photos for the seller who was very apologetic and agreed to cover the cost of getting this restored properly.

 

[elizat]

It's really a great find. Sorry about the glued in stone but what neat details.

 

[JPie]

Thanks @elizat

My jeweler took a look and he said the barrel clasp appears to be new and laser welded to the chain. The turquoise cabs aren’t sized to fit the bezels so they would probably need replacements. He also didn’t think the wear on the links were consistent with the age.

Luckily, the seller has a no-hassle return policy so I’ll be sending it back.