Handmade Chainmaille
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This necklace features an antique pierced, cut steel and gilded metal button, circa 1900, and handwoven brass chainmaille in a foxtail weave design. The focal button is 1 3/4" in diameter.
Details
- 19" long
- length can be extended; add $10 per inch
- one-of-a-kind
Materials
- jeweler's brass jump rings
- antique metal button
- brass S hook clasp
Origin Story
Cut steel jewelry gained popularity in France during the 18th century when King Louis demanded that citizens turn in their diamonds to help fund war efforts. This type of jewelry features tiny faceted and polished steel studs carved to mimic diamonds and individually riveted in place. Similar in appearance to marcasite, cut steels sparkle brilliantly when polished. Pieces can be dated by looking at the size of the cut steels, which were individually hand-riveted, and the number of facets. Older buckles feature smaller studs with as many as 15 facets. Cut steel jewelry fell out of fashion in the early 20th century when production quality declined and other trends emerged.
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This one-of-a-kind necklace features an unusual emerald green, leaf-shaped, Bakelite dress clip [circa 1930] converted to a pendant on a handwoven chain made of jeweler's brass. The green Bakelite is subtly marbled with yellows and golds. Raised above the emerald green "leaf" of the pendant is a triangle of golden "apple juice" Bakelite, with sixteen embedded rhinestones. All rhinestones are original to the piece.
Details
- pendant measures 2 1/4" in length and is 1 7/8" at its widest point
- necklace is 20" long and can be extended for $10 per inch
Materials
- vintage Bakelite pendant with rhinestones
- brass chainmail
- vintage brass lobster clasp
Origin Story
Bakelite was an early plastic, developed by Leo Baekeland in 1907. It was originally used for industrial purposes due to its ability to withstand heat. It appeared in costume jewelry beginning in the 1920's and increased in popularity through the 30's and 40's. Bakelite was often intricately carved and came in a wide range of beautiful colors. Today, authentic Bakelite jewelry is highly collectible.
Dress and fur clips debuted in the 1920's, when costume jewelry first gained popularity. It is said Coco Chanel introduced the idea of wearing less expensive costume jewelry as art, instead of wearing fine jewelry as a symbol of status and wealth. When first introduced, dress clips were worn in pairs, often worn opposite one another on the neckline or straps of a dress. Popularity wanted in the 1950's, when brooches became a more desirable personal ornament. Today, you'll occasionally see vintage clips attached to the dresses, sweaters, handbags and scarves of trend-setting celebrities.
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This bracelet features an antique pierced and gilded brass button with cut steel embellishments [circa 1900] on handwoven brass chainmaille, and an antique gold-filled fob charm.
Details
- focal antique button is 1 1/2" in diameter
- chain is 1/2" wide
- bracelet is 7 1/2" long
- length can be customized to fit your wrist, so please indicate your wrist size when ordering.
Materials
- brass jump rings
- brass lobster clasp
- antique brass button with cut steels
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This necklace features a large, pressed green glass pendant attributed to Max Neiger, circa 1925, and handwoven brass chainmaille.
The pendant bead, which measures , has traces of the original golden paint on one side. The pharaoh image is on both sides.Details
- pendant is 1 7/8" x 1 1/4" x 7 mm thick
- necklace is 18" long and can be extended for $10 per inch
Materials
- vintage glass pendant
- jeweler's brass chainmaille
- bronze S hook clasp in the shape of a snake
Origin Story
Egyptian themes were wildly popular in the 1920's following the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. This untouched tomb created an international sensation and showcased the opulence of the afterlives anticipated by Egyptian pharoahs. Soon, both fine and costume jewelry were dominated by the Egyptian Revival style.
Max Neiger and his brother Norbert designed jewelry in Gablonz, Czechoslavakia as part of Bohemia’s famed glasswork and jewelry industry. Their fame reached its peak in the 1920's and 30's. And while their most well known pieces were Egyptian revival scarab beads, they produced other Egyptian-inspired pieces as well as those incorporating Japanese and Indian motifs. The Neigers fled to Prague when Bohemia was ceded to Germany in 1938. Tragically, in 1941 they were imprisoned and murdered in a Nazi concentration camp.
