Two textured gold tone bars arc gently downward in a double swag, meeting at the center and suspending three faux pearls from cup settings along the lower edge — one at each end of the inner bar and one larger pearl hanging from the center point. The bars are finished with a fine crosshatch texture across their entire surface, which keeps the gold from reading as plain stamped metal and gives the pendant a handmade quality at close range. The pearls are round and lustrous with a warm cream tone, graduated very slightly so the center pearl reads as the focal point without the difference being dramatic.
The festoon or swag necklace is a format with roots in Victorian and Edwardian jewelry, where draped metalwork suspending pearls or stones was a standard for formal dress. This version translates that sensibility into costume jewelry scaled for everyday wear — the pendant is modest in size, the cable chain is fine, and the whole piece sits close to the collarbone rather than making a statement. It works as well with a casual neckline as with something more formal, which likely accounts for how many versions of this basic arrangement were produced through the 1970s and 1980s. Spring ring clasp. Unsigned and in great condition.
Materials
Gold tone base metal; faux pearl
Details
Measurement
Chain 9 in long when clasped; pendant approx. 2 in wide
Collected by
Mineral and Matter