Made in Gablonz in the 1920s, this Art Deco crystal necklace is an extremely rare design. This necklace is so rare you will not find it photographed in any antique or vintage jewelry books in print. These beads are also not depicted in either book written by the most renowned author on antique European beads, Sibylle Jargstorf.
These pyramid crystals are rare because they were experimental and not mass produced. In my 40+ years of collecting antique and vintage jewelry I have never seen another necklace like this one and it may be one of a kind. A necklace like this should be in a museum or purchased by serious Art Deco collectors only.
The magnificent length of this necklace is is an outstanding 38 1/2" or 98 cm long. It can be worn as one long strand or looped twice around the neck. The rich Aquamarine color and luminosity of the crystals is astonishing. You will not find crystals from the Gablonz region this color that were produced at anytime before or after the 1920s. They were made for a very short time in the 1920s only.
The fluorescent appearance of the crystals was accomplished with the use or uranium. Uranium used in Aqua glass is very rare; it was most commonly used in the creation of fluorescent green or yellow crystal.
Each pyramid section of beads is composed of 7 beads of graduated sizes that exemplify superior machine cut facets. The shape of these beads do not have a name! You might call them a bicone design with the ends cut off, or a pyramid cut.
Each pyramid bead section is 1 3/4" or 44 mm long. There are 23 bead sections in total. The largest beads at the center are 1/2" or 13 mm wide. All of the beads are strung on heavy gauge stainless steel wire, looped at the ends and joined from one pyramid section to the next for necklace security and strength.
Look at the old machined stainless steel screw in clasp. It is an oversized clasp that is 5/16" or 8 mm in width.
The entire necklace is in pristine clean superb condition. I have examined every bead individually under 21" high powered lighted magnifier (the kind dentists use) and the beads are superb for their age. There are only microscopic hints of light facet wear on some of the largest beads. There are no chips, cracks, or scratches on any of the beads, which is astonishing. The necklace is weighty but not uncomfortable to wear.
The necklace is not signed but undoubtedly a product of the Gablonz region. Most likely circa 1925 based on my knowledge of beads from that region.
Comes gift wrapped and shipped in a new luxury presentation necklace box.
