Opulent Antique Coral Necklace With Gold Clasp Made in Our Workshop

All folk costumes of the past centuries include pieces of jewellery that can look very different. The special thing is that the origin of the materials used does not always correspond to the place where this traditional costume jewellery is worn. For example, the folk costumes of Bückeburg (located roughly between Hanover and Bielefeld) feature thick amber from the Baltic coast, which was brought to this region by travelling traders. In the tradition of Ukrainian folk costumes, the thickest possible Mediterranean corals are part of the outfit, whereby the wealth of a family, similar to the amber in Bückeburg, could be judged by the quality and quantity of the corals that a lady wore with her costume. A characteristic feature of these corals used in Ukraine is the shape of slightly irregular, rounded drums with flattened sides, as the corals were occasionally combined with intermediate pieces of silver. In addition to its beauty, it is above all the many good omens attributed to coral that explain its appreciation. Its red colour, for example, is considered a protection against misfortune and illness. Its association with the planet Mars is said to have favorable astrological influences and lend courage to its wearers. However, the fascination with real coral is not only due to its (supposed) protective function - the sight of it is also fascinating on an aesthetic level, as is the case with our necklace, which we were able to buy from the estate of a noble family in Odessa. The impressive row of large Mediterranean corals in a vibrant salmon red becomes thicker towards the middle. All corals are hand-cut and show natural growth characteristics with uniform colour. Small coral balls are placed between the large corals to ensure that the necklace falls beautifully. The corals were probably cut in the late 19th century. We have restrung the corals and added a matching gold clasp. The clasp bears hallmarks from Austria-Hungary and was made around 1890.

Estimate:£1,095.76

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