Antique Vintage Victorian Sterling Silver Rosary Reliquary Filigree Necklace

Gram Weight: 39.4 Grams. Item Measurements: The necklace has a wearable length of 25. The pendant is 1.7" long and 1.4" wide. This necklace was designed to be long enough to slip over the head. Notable Features: This lovely sterling silver necklace was handmade by a talented silversmith during the Victorian Era.

The strand features a patterned set of handmade sterling silver beads that were individually strung on a silk strand. There are several types of bead designs; a scalloped, carinated tapered bead, a small trellis filligree bead, a disc shaped floral filigree bead, and a larger spheroid floral filigree bead with granulated bead accents. These large beads are strung station style along the strand, with the smaller beads separating them. Each filigree bead was painstakingly hand-wound, a time-consuming and meticulous process. At the center of the strand is a gorgeous flower disc, the filigree petals are made of sterling silver wire with a hollow bead at the center.

Hanging from this flower lavaliere-style is an oval reliquary pendant. The pendant features a scalloped frame with chased details that catch the light for a bit of sparkle.

Inside the scalloped edges is a layer of scrolling filigree with seven hollow domes interspersed in a ring. Each dome has a raised flower shape at the apex. The center of the pendant is made of domed filigree with applied sterling silver diamond shapes that are meant to glitter in the light. There is an oval floral frame surrounding the center reliquary, which is pressed between clear crystal glass. The reliquary is a stylized bleeding heart made of swirling filigree, which also indicates that this stunning necklace may have been given as a love token. This ornate necklace is matinee length, and is meant to slip over the head to be worn long, or wrapped around the hand to count prayers. Please take this into consideration before.

This beautiful piece was made during the Victorian Period! This era is famous for its rare and elegant designs.

The name comes from the ruling monarch of the time, Queen Victoria. A reliquary is a container for religious relics; usually pertaining to a saint or venerated religious figure. Reliquaries provide a means of protecting and displaying these important symbols. While frequently taking the form of caskets, they range in size from simple pendants or rings to very elaborate chests.

Since the relics themselves were considered more valuable than precious gold, silver or gems, it was only appropriate that they be enshrined in extremely ornate containers covered with gold, silver, gems, and enamel. Prayer beads are used by members of various religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and the Bahá'í Faith to mark the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions.

The number of beads varies by religion or use. Since the beads are fingered in an automatic manner, they allow the user to keep track of how many prayers have been said with a minimal amount of conscious effort, which in turn allows greater attention to be paid to the prayers themselves. Lavalieres are necklaces that included a chain or small link necklace, fairly long, that terminates in a single large pendant or tassel, which in turn often has additional pendants or tassels dangling from it; though named for a mistress of Louis XIV, the style is usually associated with turn-of-the-20th century jewelry, and remained popular into the 1930s. Filigree metal working has been around for thousands of years, however was perfected by the Phoenicians and Etruscan civilizations. It involves stamping out a design in your metal and hand bending and twirling until your design in formed, it is considered one of the most difficult metal working processes.

The chasing technique is a very difficult silversmith process when the artist uses a nail-like tool and hammer to hand etch patterns within the metal work. This process was very difficult and only the best jewelers were trained in the process.

While some flowers are subtle or send mixed messages, the Bleeding Heart is both bold and dramatic. The Bleeding Heart is one of the most literal flowers used symbolically today.

The blooms resemble a classical cartoon heart with drops of blood falling out of it. In European cultures, the Bleeding Heart has a passionate meaning and is often exchanged as a symbol of true love. In Victorian floriography, this flower would allow the sender to express passionate feelings which could not be said aloud due to the conservative culture of the time. Some religious groups use the flower as a reminder of compassion for the suffering of others.

The item "Antique Vintage Victorian Sterling Silver Rosary Reliquary Filigree Necklace" is in sale since Sunday, December 17, 2017. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Fine\Victorian, Edwardian 1837-1910\Necklaces & Pendants". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado.

This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Bolivia, Egypt, Sri lanka, Macao, Viet nam, Uruguay.

Style: Pendant
Metal: Sterling Silver
Era: Victorian
Metal Purity: .925
Material: Glass
Country/Region of Manufacture: Unknown