Antique Vintage Nouveau Sterling 800 Silver Austro Hungarian 10 Strand Necklace

Markings: Signed by the maker in Old English hammer stamp form and says "IAR". It is also marked with the large article Austria-Hungary assay mark with letters or numbers below it.

It was bought out of Austria. Gram Weight: 223.8 Grams. Item Measurements: The shortest strand of the necklace measure 12" and the longest 13", with strands graduating in size between those.

Closure/Clasp Type: Push In Clasp. Link Type: These links are intricately put together in the Rolo style. The craftsman would have made each link separately and then soldered them together. 800 Sterling Silver, Signed, Graduated Strands, Filigree clasp with a Jugendstil-inspired floral design on it.

The design on the clasp includes interconnected vines and foliage with grape clusters. Please take this into consideration before.

This beautiful piece was made during a period called the Art Nouveau Era! This time was also called "La Belle Epoque" in French which translates to A Beautiful Time. The translation fits, as many gorgeous pieces and design were created as a result of this era. The Art Nouveau period was famous for its flowing organic designs, flowing ladies, flowing floral designs, and regal designs. In the 1800s, jewelers of the region, which became a center for glass artisans, started to combine their elaborate filigreed metalwork in silver and gold with shimmering experimental pastes (glass stones), semi-precious stones, seed pearls, and brightly colored enamels in ostentatiously regal pieces.

These Renaissance Revival pieces, like intricate pendants depicting the legend of St. George and The Dragon or ornate paste chandelier earrings, are highly sought-after today. 800 silver, also called coin silver, is made out of silver coins used in European countries pre-1940.

During this time period, it was easier for jeweler and silversmiths to use coins that were already guaranteed at a certain purity, than using another form of silver and having to guess at the purity level. Filigree metal working has been around for thousands of years, however, it 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 Nouveau Sterling 800 Silver Austro Hungarian 10 Strand Necklace" is in sale since Thursday, May 11, 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 worldwide.

Metal: Sterling Silver
Metal Purity: .
800
Style: Collar
Country/Region of Manufacture: Austria
Brand: IAR