Recently Sold (VICN039)

Femininity & Versatility - Victorian 10K Gold & Gold Filled Natural Pearl Chain Necklace. This exquisite necklace is crafted from gold fill, and 10K solid yellow gold, hallmarked AMERIKANER METAL. Featuring 16 natural pearls, Victorian era styling, and quality craftsmanship. This beautiful chain is made up of gold filled bars and links, which are interspaced by 10K gold wired natural pearls. The natural pearls display a beautiful lustre and a silvery grey color. The chain has a dog clip at the one end so the wearer can hang the pendant of their choice, and a spring ring clasp, in perfect working order. The chain can be worn long or doubled up, which gives the necklace versatility. This wonderful Victorian era chain would make a perfect addition to any antique jewelry collection. 

History: Pearls were presented as gifts to Chinese royalty as early as 2300 BC, while in ancient Rome, pearl jewellery was considered the ultimate status symbol. So precious were the spherical gems that in the 1st century BC, Julius Caesar passed a law limiting the wearing of pearls only to the ruling classes.

Who are natural pearls so valuable? Natural pearls are over-harvested for years that it has now become one of the most coveted gems in the market.

Gold was generally used for a couple thousand years solely to create things such as jewelry and idols for worship. This was until around 1500 BC when the ancient empire of Egypt, which benefited greatly from its gold-bearing region, Nubia, made gold the first official medium of exchange for international trade.

The history of gold-filled jewellery traces back to early 19th century England, where this technique was patented to create semi-precious and better-quality custom jewellery during the Victorian Era.

The word "Amerikaner" is the same as "double" and this was a process of double plating an item which was created during the Austrian Empire period (prior to 1865) and assured a lifetime glow. It was used because pure gold was becoming scarce due to fine metals needed for the war efforts throughout Europe.

The AMERIKANER Co. was founded in 1869 by Friedrich Speidel in Pforzheim, a small town in southwest Germany commonly referred to as Goldstadt, or "Golden City" renowned world-wide for it's jewelry and watch-making industry. The company moved to Providence R.I. in 1904 later becoming the SPEIDEL Co.

Measurements: Chain Necklace 28" 

Stone Size: Natural Pearl 3.00 mm each 

Weight: 6.10 grams 

Origin: America 

Date: Circa 1890