VINTAGE 1950s CRYSTAL WATERFALL NECKLACE

This piece is so special and so rare: it dates to the Victorian era, more specifically the 1860s, and was likely made in Britain. It is crafted from vulcanite and features a teardrop shape with a high relief bunch of grapes in intricate detail, surrounded by a border of carved beads, strung on a fine black ribbon, to be worn as choker. (I love it strung on the Victorian Jet Choker pictured, which is also available in my shop.) The vulcanite has this truly stunning, relatively matte finish, with a rich warm glow— it's just so unique and unlike any other material. What is vulcanite? It is made by combining the sap of the Euphorbia or Ficus trees from Malaysia, with sulphur. It was originally invented in 1843 by Thomas Hancock. His timing just happened to be spot-on: black had long been considered essential to mourning jewelry and mourning dress, but thanks to Queen Victoria's extended 40 years of grieving (for her husband, Prince Albert), from about 1860-1890, black was considered a highly fashionable color, and began to be worn outside mourning dress. During this period, vulcanite became a very fashionable material for jewelry, and it loaned objects that gothic, romantic, dramatic black cast that Victorians just loved. Victorian mourning jewelry is rife with grape motifs; for one, grapes were a symbols of Christ (as wine is the blood of Christ). On Victorian grave markers, a cluster of grapes typically means that the deceased was of mature years. Victorians are well known for using flowers and botanicals as a means of communication. Wild grapes, according to The Language of Flowers published in 1913, are symbols of Charity, a favorite Victorian theme. NOTE: The Victorian Hair Mourning...

There is something so magical to me about vintage and antique cameos: the way the portraits are rendered in such incredible detail seems to tell a person's mystery. This cameo is carved from genuine shell with such impressive precision, and it's set in solid 18k gold. It is both a pendant, and a brooch; the pin back is not visible when it's worn as a pendant, and I love the way the bail dangles down and disappears when it's worn as brooch, making it truly two pieces in one. It was likely made in the 1930s, but it's also possible that the cameo itself was made even earlier, and the brooch fastener was later added around the 1930s or 1940s. This cameo depicts a Spanish woman, wearing a mantilla comb...

This antique mother of pearl Gobbo charm is a powerful talisman; if you're not familiar with Gobbo charms, they are thought to offer the same protection and good luck as the ubiquito...

I have a long-held fascination with Victorian hair art and mourning jewelry, and this piece is full of amazing details. In the 19th Century Europe a...

This vintage 1950s diamanté collar necklace features heart drops, with three larger hearts forming the center. These diamanté heart motifs of the 1950s are constantly referenced in h...

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Hand made using 9 carat Yellow Gold, the suspended Lavender Chalcedony beads are threaded together with a solid gold wire and graduated onto a delicate 1.7 mm cable chain. The lovely soft lilac centre bead is 12 mm in size, 10mm the two following, 8 mm the next, 6 mm the last one, with a little 3 mm yellow gold ball to finish it off. It hangs at about 15 inches. Part of our Sweetie Collection emulating edible candy jewellery...