Antique Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Shou Bead HUGE Carved Necklace

Gram Weight: 195.6 Grams. Item Measurements: The necklace has a wearable length of 17.5.

The smaller beads near the clasp measure at 1" in diameter, while the largest beads towards the middle measure slightly over 1" in diameter. Closure/Clasp Type: The necklace also includes a secure old style filigree push clasp as well. Notable Features: 13 hand-crafted beads, Black silk string that is knotted between each bead to prevent friction from rubbing, Gold wash, Hand-carved scenes that include: an Ox, Leaf, and Vine motif; a Lotus flower, Leaf, Vine, and Bird motif; a Leaf, Vine, and Kanji symbol motif; a Lotus flower, Leaf, and Vine motif; a Sun, Leaf and Vine motif; a Leaf and Vine motif; an ornate dragon wrapping around the entire bead; a Koi fish motif; a Rat, Leaf, and Vine motif. The beads each have different toning from age and interaction with skin oils.

We believe this has given certain areas a beautiful rosy hue and the piece looks great as is! This beautiful piece comes from the Art Deco Era! The Art Deco Era is famous for being the "Gatsby" or "Roaring Twenties" Era.

Many gorgeous and timeless designs in jewelry came out of this period. The necklace features classic handmade craftsmanship and some of the finest silver work you will ever see. This necklace is a classic Chinese handcrafted masterpiece, it truly belongs in a museum. During the Art Deco Period jewelers often made jewelry upon custom order, this would often take weeks to months to completely craft by hand. Chinese export jewelry became popular during the late Victorian Period and lasted until the 1960's. In a lot of ways, Chinese export jewelry fashioned what we know of jewelry today. During these periods, Chinese craftsmen, including jewelers and stone cutters, were considered by far the best in the world. The wealthy would have a piece custom ordered through their local jeweler. They drafted a design which was then sent to China to be crafted and sent back. As you can imagine, this was not cheap, that being said, these pieces are very rare and few have survived until today. The chasing technique is a very difficult silversmith process where the artist uses a nail-like tool and hammer to hand-etch patterns within the metal work. Only the best jewelers were trained in this challenging process. 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 item "Antique Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Shou Bead HUGE Carved Necklace" is in sale since Sunday, July 30, 2017. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Fine\Art Nouveau/Art Deco 1895-1935\Necklaces & Pendants". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped to United States.

Style: Collar
Metal: Sterling Silver
Metal Purity: .925
Country/Region of Manufacture: China
Material: Beads
Ethnic Origin: Chinese
Type: Beads