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Spectacular Necklace of Ancient Romano British Beads
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre AD 1000 item# 1114516
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$350. Was $475.
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This extraordinary necklace of 2000-year-old beads was acquired in its present form from a specialist dealer in London about 30 years ago. Measuring almost 17 1/4 inches plus clasp, the strand is weighty with colorful beads of ceramic, glass and natural stone, a few of which appear to be amber.
According to an expert, this is the sort of strand created by Britons of the Anglo-Saxon period, using beads left by the Romans (who occupied Britain from the 1st through the 3rd century). Similar examples have been found in burials circa 600-1000, so this group of beads may very well have been worn together for that long! The latest restringing probably took place at least a century ago, based on the Victorian fish-hook clasp. That makes the necklace even more special, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to restring the beads again soon, for security's sake.
There's no charge for insured U.S. priority shipping, with an equivalent discount on international delivery, and beautiful gift wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Superb Vintage Bergere Rose Quartz Necklace - Mint
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Jewels:
Pre 1980 item# 1114498
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$120. Was $150.
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Still with its original shop tags, this wonderfully giftable vintage necklace is of icy pink rose quartz, dripping with gilt laurel leaves in Greek Goddess style. It was designed by Karen Reed for Bergere. We haven't been able to determine when Ms. Reed worked for the company (L. Erbert & Pohls Inc. of New York City), but the Bergere brand was used only from the 1940s through the 1970s. Of extremely high quality, Bergere jewels were sold in such upscale stores as Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor and Marshall Fields.
About 17 inches long, the necklace has seven leaf pendants ranging from one to two inches long, gorgeously detailed even on their reverses. Each leaf is stamped Bergere and obviously surfaced with very high-carat gold. I have no doubt that these pale blush-colored rose quartz chunks are genuine; they're quite cold to the touch, unlike glass, and they're heavy. A few gold beads also feature on the strand and there's an elegant gold push clasp accompanied by a diamond-shaped drop stamped with Karen Reed's signature. Condition is like new and provenance is an East Coast estate.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) and gift-wrap is always free on request. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Necklace Beaded in Suffragette Colors
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1920 item# 1080618
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
Sold; thank you! $125
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When you see green, white and violet together on historic jewelry, this unusual color combination usually signifies that the piece was owned by a member of the Suffragette movement. To them, the first letters of these colors stood for Give Women (the) Vote.
Here that message resounds in a beautiful rope-like necklace, lovingly woven of white, violet and green beads -- hundreds or perhaps thousands of them. At 38 inches long, it doesn't need a clasp. The necklace drapes beautifully and, despite its thickness, is very light and comfortable to wear. The beads look like celluloid, but may be some other early plastic.
Woven necklaces of this type were popular from Late Victorian through Edwardian times and into the early years of the Art Deco era. Ours comes from an Illinois estate in wonderful condition. It can't have been worn much -- probably because it was made very shortly before the vote was granted and then tucked away as a memento. I expect it was created between 1910 and 1920, possibly by its original owner or as a gift for her from a friend or family member. Ladies of this era were highly skilled at handicrafts and publications offered them lots of ideas and instructions. We recently sold a necklace of the very same pattern but only 28 inches in length, which reinforces the notion that this design may have appeared in a popular magazine.
All Suffragette jewelry has been rocketing in price since the 2004 TV movie "Iron Jawed Angels" revealed what the gals went through (arrests, hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they have serious investment value, too.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping (with an equivalent discount on international delivery) and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Deco Flapper Beads of Vivid Art Glass on Fancy Chain
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Jewels:
Pre 1940 item# 1063037
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$95 SALE. Was $125.
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Their rich mix of colors makes these Art Deco beads extra-special, as do the varied stone cuts and link types. It all adds up to a wonderfully unexpected and festive look, and a necklace that will go with just about anything.
The 29 prettily faceted faux-gems are of a quality that suggests Czech origin. They include ovals of blue topaz, squares of amethyst and olivine, rounds of amber and chunky rectangles of smoky topaz, all set in gilt brass frames with beaded detail. The connecting links of gilt brass feature both rounds and "paperclip" ovals.
Total length is about 35 inches, so the clasp is superfluous, unless you want to wrap the strand around your neck several times.
Provenance is an estate in Florida (the great Deco mecca) and condition is lovely, showing only age-appropriate darkening of the metal and, under magnification, minor surface wear. Probable dating would be late 1920s or early 1930s, making the necklace antique by American 75-year standards, not just vintage.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping, with an equivalent discount on international delivery, and gift wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Superb Pueblo Deco Fringed Flapper Beads Necklace
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1940 item# 1038429
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$125 SALE. Was $145.
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Very briefly in the early 20th century, the Pueblo Deco style appeared as a fusion of Native American artwork with Art Deco design. Its legacy is largely architectural, including such cultural treasures as Albuquerque's KiMo Theatre. Authentic jewels from the era are rare and highly collectible.
A wonderful example is this antique necklace from the 1920s or early 1930s, which has Flapper Girl tassels and also evokes the Egyptian Revival style popular at the time. Iridescent green glass beads add vivid accents to the sophisticated white and black pattern that finishes with a graceful 3 ½-inch tassel. The necklace would have been made by an artisan in New Mexico, which was then being popularized as 'The Land of Enchantment' by enterprising hoteliers and the Santa Fe Railroad. As you see, it's still in lovely condition.
A similar necklace is pictured on page 85 of "Collectible Costume Jewelry ID and Value Guide" by S. Sylvia Henzel and was valued at $175 some years ago.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping, with an equivalent discount on international delivery, and gift wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos.
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Rare & Wonderful Old Natural Red Branch Coral Bracelet
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1900 item# 939080
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$130
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This stunning bracelet we recently lucked upon is a great match for our extra-long, antique branch coral necklace. (To see it, just enter branch coral in the search box.) If interested in both pieces, please e-mail and we'll work out special pricing.
As you know if you collect coral jewelry, almost all newer examples are dyed (and look it), because sources of truly good coral are just about played out. To get the real thing, you have to go back into antique, or at least very seriously vintage. Here we have honest-to-Pete Mediterranean stuff, as is also true of our necklace. The bracelet hails from a California estate, but would have originated in Italy, where red coral was harvested in profusion in the 19th century and earlier.
Based on the clasp, a sterling swivel hook, the bracelet was restrung around 1950. Changing to a Victorian gilded "beehive" screw clasp or small fish-hook would be well worth doing. Otherwise, this bracelet is simply superb, with all spezzati (coral branches) intact and showing natural variations of hue. Length is about 7.75 inches now, too large for many women, but a significant amount of length is in the oversized clasp.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Ethereal Edwardian Ice Blue Glass Bead Necklace
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1920 item# 939026
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
Sold; thank you! $125.
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Frosty whites and pastels captured the height of Edwardian refinement a hundred years ago. Not coincidentally, the Arts and Crafts movement had flourished for several decades by then, promoting excellence of design and workmanship, along with an artistic approach to selecting materials. This led to a passion for art glass that persisted from Late Victorian and Edwardian times through the transitional World War I period and the Art Deco 1920s.
Edwardians also adored daintiness and the shimmering beads here are as tiny as heishi, so they're light and comfortable to wear, despite the great number of strands and decorative orbs paved with them.
Condition of this necklace is simply superb. Without magnification, you can't notice any surface wear, even on the brilliantly gilded little tulip-shaped connectors. The clasp is of a slightly darker metal and may well be a replacement for an earlier fish-hook or barrel type; this could easily be changed, but you don't even need to use it. At about 30 inches long, the beads slip on and off over the head. The necklace reached us from a Pennsylvania estate and most likely originated in Bohemia, an area known for producing excellent glass for centuries. (Part of the old Austro-Hungarian empire, it became Czechoslovakia after WWWI).
This ultra-subtle blue looks beautiful with a wide range of colors, but I especially like it with the gray fashions so stylish today.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Art Deco Aquamarine Crystal Tassel Necklace
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 722715
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$210
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Both for heavenly color and liveliness in motion, this is among the most beautiful Art Deco necklaces I've ever seen -- the sort of dazzler that people just can't take their eyes off! The crystal is very fine and superbly cut to sparkle madly, seeming to glow from within. In the mix are four different sizes, from teensy crystal heishi on the tassel to whopping faceted teardrops nearly 1 3/4 inches long.
As you know, the Edwardians also loved jewels with drops to swing and sway, whereas later Deco necklaces became extra-long ropes much simpler in design, so we date this to early in the Deco period. Despite great age, its condition is superb, showing only miniscule fleabites under extreme magnification. The necklace has been beautifully cared for through generations, as it richly deserves and, for ongoing safety, I had the beads restrung by my favorite jeweler. Total length is 34 inches, including the 3 1/4-inch beaded tassel. Provenance is a Wisconsin estate.
There's no charge for insured U.S. Priority shipping and glamorous gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique 80-Inch Rope Necklace of Sugar Crystal Beads
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 702976
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$85
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Almost seven feet long, this amazing antique beaded necklace is intricately woven into a thick rope to sway at knee level or trail slinkily down your back. Of course you can also knot it, wrap it around your neck several times or even wear it as a belt.
Extra-long necklaces like this were favorites from Edwardian into Art Deco times, when clothing became much lighter and less restrictive and people liked their jewels to move freely, too. Based on its subtle coloration, this is an early one. The Edwardians favored muted pastels, even at night, celebrating the fact that flickering candles and gas lamps had been replaced by electric light and colors no longer had to be assertive to be seen. Here clear beads add extra dazzle to silvery pink beads of a shade that will be breathtaking with the gray fashions so stylish now.
The necklace reached us from a Midwestern estate, but it almost surely came from Europe. Teensy "sugar crystal" glass beads of this type are most closely associated with France, but could also be Bohemian. The necklace's condition is frankly miraculous, with original stringing that still looks perfectly strong.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Art Deco Beads 21 Inch Necklace of Heavy Cut Crystal
Catalogue:
Estate Jewelry:
Strands:
Pre 1930 item# 556874
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
505.205.1404
$99
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Sparkling glass jewelry was so popular in the Art Deco era that fashion editors worldwide declared 1927 "The Year of Crystal." This gorgeous necklace certainly dates from the 1920s, so is already antique by American 75-year standards. The crystal beads are much heavier and more finely faceted than is customary today, and age-appropriate patina is evident on the elegant gilded filigree clasp. The clasp is original to the beads, which reached us from a West Coast estate.
The largest central bead is a whopper -- 5/8 of an inch round -- and this necklace is an ususually long one. Most of its type measure just 16 or 17 inches long. Condition is so lovely that high magnification is required to notice any surface wear to the glass. To make sure these beads can be worn safely for another 75 years or so, we had our jeweler restring them in the most luxurious manner (using pale silver-grey silk and knotting each bead individually to protect them from abrasion). Depending on rates where you live, that saves you about $40 to $60, since you won't need to have them restrung, yourself.
Obviously this is a necklace you can wear beautifully with every color and with anything from jeans to a cocktail dress. Nothing is more versatile than clear crystal.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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