Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Gold Wash Chinese Nephrite Pendant 39.3g

  
We have similar Nephrite and Deco items, which would pair nicely with this piece, for sale this week. Listing description by: Cameron J.

Markings : Unmarked, tested, and guaranteed. Color: semi-translucent pale green hue with black inclusions. Stone treatment : The stone(s) appear to be untreated, but we are not certified gemologists.

Stone(s) have been tested and guaranteed using a professional Presidium Duo refractive, heat, and hardness tester. Stone cuts : Polished floral carving. Length: 2.87 including bale. Bale opening: 6.75 mm width. Handmade in the Art Deco era as a rare piece of Chinese export jewelry.

925 sterling silver with a yellow gold wash. The pendant features a beautiful nephrite jade stone carved expertly by Chinese stone cutters to feature floral motifs. The bale features filigree designs. Complete with a bale which allows the pendant to be strung on chains as a necklace.

There is some wear to the gold wash. The price has been reduced to reflect this. This listing is for the item only.

The Art Deco era is famous for being the "Gatsby" or "Roaring Twenties" era. A lot of gorgeous and timeless designs in jewelry came out of this period. Jewelry from this period was most often crafted between 1920 and 1940.

Art Deco jewelry sometimes featured white gold or platinum, geometric designs, European cut diamonds, filigree, and calibre cut stones that are specially cut to fit the design of the piece. During the Art Deco period jewelers often made jewelry upon custom order, this would usually take weeks to months to completely craft by hand. Chinese export jewelry became popular during the late Victorian period and persisted until the 1960s. During this period, Chinese craftsmen were considered by far the best in the world.

The rich and wealthy would custom-order a piece through their local jeweler, who would send the design off to China to be made and sent back to Europe. This lengthy process was very expensive, making Chinese export pieces highly desirable, then and now.

Chinese stone cutters were considered some of the finest artisans in the world. They would spend years learning to hand-carve many different types of stones, and excelled in creating finely detailed pieces other artisans couldn't even hope to compare to.

Their skill was so refined that they could even carve delicate stones like coral and jade. Chinese stone cutters were so talented that Victorian era European socialites would commission pieces from them, preferring the hefty price tag that came with such high quality work to the ready availability of Western stonework. Jade is one of the oldest and most important gemstones, with a history dating over 7,000 years. Nephrite is more common than jadeite and although it is slightly softer than jadeite, it is considered tougher due to its denser structure. Nephrite was derived from the Greek word for kidney because it was thought that it could cure kidney disease. Up until around 1863, Nephrite was believed to be the same as Jadeite. Nephrite can be distinguished from Jadeite from its lower level of translucency and luster.

Traditional Chinese jade typically refers to nephrite since there are no actual jadeite deposits located in China. Nephrite jade was used mostly in pre-1800 China, and is rare to see today. Green nephrite is considered the most valuable nephrite, but translucent, white nephrite was considered the most valuable up until the introduction of fine Imperial jadeite jade during the 18th century. Filigree metalworking is a delicate form of art and has been found as early as 3,000 BC in Mesopotamia. It was perfected by the Phoenicians and Etruscan civilizations between the 6th and 3rd centuries BC.

It involves stamping out a design in metal and hand bending and twirling threads, combined with tiny beads, until a final motif emerges. It is reminiscent of lace and considered one of the most difficult metalworking processes. Filigree is still a very popular technique in India and Asia. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Necklaces & Pendants".

The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.

1. Antique: Yes
2. Metal: Sterling Silver
3. Modified Item: No
4. Jewelry Department: Fine
5. Vintage: Yes
6. Main Stone: Nephrite
7. Brand: Unbranded
8. Type: Pendant
9. Department: Unisex Adults
10. Metal Purity: 925
11. Era: Art Deco (1915-1935)
12. Style: Pendant
13. Country/Region of Manufacture: China