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MiriamHaskell Late1920s Hess SignatureGrapeClusterPendant GlassPearl Necklace

About the Item

Featuring the earliest white-swirled glass and enameled faux-pearl round beads handcrafted by Parisian lampwork-master Louis Rousselet for American entrepreneur Miriam Haskell and her first designer Frank Hess before The Great Depression, this mid-1920s-style elegant single-strand necklace has a 1.25-inch-long three-dimensional pendant whose hidden wiring enables it to resemble a 360-degree grape cluster. This was years before fruit-like clusters became one of their most recognizable designs. Also typical of Hess, the varied pastel colors--pink, pale blue and lilac--add asymmetry to both the pendant and choker. Towards the bottom of the pendant, notice a slight variation of bead size, too. Further helping to date the beaded necklace within a few years of the company's founding in 1926 is its construction with silver wire links and a simple spring-ring clasp, which was like many necklaces created by her foreign supplier for his own ready-to-wear brand that was only sold in fashion boutiques throughout France. In fact, one of the reasons that Haskell was quickly successful with her French-style ready-to-wear jewelry sold from her French-named boutique Le Bijoux de l'Heure in New York City was that it capitalized on the fame of French couturier Gabriel "Coco" Chanel, who also used Rousselet beads and findings beginning in 1924 when she launched the international trend for faux-pearl glass jewelry. For example, in 1926 when American fashion was led by entertainment stars, nearly every stylish young woman in the silent movie "Paris" starring Joan Crawford wears a faux-pearl necklace suspended above their cleavage. Incidentally, Crawford went on to became one of the biggest collectors of Haskell-Hess jewelry. According to Haskell-book author Cathy Gordon, early Haskell pieces often feature round instead of baroque glass pearls, while she has identified a round-pearl single-strand necklace like ours with glass grape-cluster pendant and a thumb-clasp in a photo that she currently shares online. For more information on early mostly pre-signature Haskell-Hess jewelry, please visit her image website and see our other listings.
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