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Antique 8 BallCutMoonstones FrenchBelleEpoque GiltFiligree Earrings & Necklace

About the Item

This antique French Belle-Epoque-period set incudes eight rare ball-cut moonstones beaded on a delicate gilt choker necklace and wire-hook dangle earrings for pierced ears. The necklace features two 12mm gilt-filigree-capped moonstones with atypical adularescence that glows as a sharply defined wide bluish-white circle below the surface. The pearl-like grayish-white moonstones are among beaded stations of cut-glass crystal that are spaced with tiny gilt balls. The matching earrings each feature a 6mm moonstone like the additional four on the necklace. The luminous moonstone beads look like quahog-clam pearls until nearby light illuminates their centers and provokes a much closer look. Shifting with light as if floating like large beads of water under glass, the spherical bright sheen has an unusual outer ring of gold, which may be due to reflection of the obscured chain passing through its center and/or the exterior bracketing filigree caps. It is rare to find round-cut moonstones that are this old, as they are far easier to cut into cabochons, whose protective settings reduce the chance of damage. Given the choker-length necklace and short-dangle earrings, there is very little chance of abrasion occurring, which is likely why they remain in excellent condition. Beyond the materials and style, this antique set is French based on the brass extension chain and clasp, which was a lobster-type patented in France since 1919 and therefore not manufactured elsewhere for some time. For ages, both moonstones and crystals have been associated with intuition, mysticism, mentalism and the occult. Such beliefs were enthusiastically explored for entertainment in the Victorian era through the 1920s, such as with a large tabletop orbuculum to attempt to conjure spirits or to see the future. Befitting such a pastime, the large moonstones in the necklace give the impression of a captured entity more than any others we have seen.

Metal:

Brass,Gold,Gilt Metal

Stone:

Crystal,Moonstone

Stone Cut:

Mixed Cut

Dimensions:

Width: 0.75 in (19.05 mm)Diameter: 5 in (127 mm)Length: 19 in (482.6 mm)

Sold As:

Set of 3

Style:

Belle Époque