Art Deco Chinese Carved Carnelian Sterling Silver Necklace

$220.00

Please see all photos so you can view the detailed carving on this necklace……In excellent condition and still having its original 1920s-1930s chain and bolt ring clasp this is a lovely vintage Art Deco sterling silver Chinese carved and pierced peony flowers carnelian or red jade necklace. It is old and not marked But is Tested and Guaranteed to be solid sterling silver. Not plated. The centerpiece is 1 3/4″ tall North to South by 15/16″ wide East to West. The chain is 15 1/2″ long for a smaller neck. The stone has beautiful deep floral carving that is pierced through with open work. The setting has 1920s-30s carved leaf prongs and the sides of the bezel are deeply carved all the way around. Stone translucence is good. No damage and never repaired. From an estate and in excellent original condition this is a gorgeous necklace for your jewelry collection.

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SKU: 357 Categories: ,

Description

Art Deco Chinese Carved Carnelian Sterling Silver Necklace  (http://www.collectorsweekly.com/asian/chinese-jewelry)

About Vintage and Antique Chinese Jewelry:

The tradition of jewelry-making in China goes back at least to the Neolithic Period. Pierced jade animal pendants were worn for their talismanic properties. More recently, within the last few thousand years, jewelry-like jade clasps buckled men’s belts, while women used bone or gold-and-jeweled ornamental hairpins.

In fact, hairpins and pendants were the dominant forms of fine jewelry in China up until the last thousand or so years. The prongs of were sometimes gilded in silver, while the space between the prongs was often granulated. Sometimes bird motifs would decorate their surfaces, with gems and pearls used in patterns and as accents.

Garment plaques, like square or rectangular brooches were worn by members of the court. These adornments were crammed with images of dragons and other traditional Chinese iconography. Gemstones would border the plaque and dot its interior, which was usually constructed of openwork and chased gold. Solid gold was also popular, especially in the bands of gold called armlets worn on women’s arms.

Today, much of the jewelry we associate with China was made in the Victorian Era or more recently for export to the West. Jade has remained a trademark of Chinese jewelers, while other materials such as coral are also carved into the shapes of animals and flowers. A mineral called cinnabar, is also carved for bangles and pendants, while ox bone meant to imitate ivory is ubiquitous in openwork jewelry and as beading on necklaces.