This Baroque 18k yellow gold baroque lavalier necklace is very typical for Spanish jewellery of the 18th Century.
This necklace is very versatile to wear because the pendant consists of two elements which can be worn individually from each other. As can be seen in the pictures, the bow top and pear-shaped bottom look beautiful and dramatic together, but the bow top can also be worn on its own, and the bottom could even be strung on a separate necklace and be worn individually.
The pendant of this necklace is designed to look like an open-worked bow with a pear-shaped drop, a motive that was used often in the 1700s. The pendant is set with 21 table-cut, natural emerald, which all have been set in closed settings. The pendant is completed by two pearls; one tiny one dangling at the bottom, and a larger one on the top. This 8 mm pierced pearl is cultured and I believe that it is a replacement: originally, this would most likely have been set with a natural pearl of the same size.
I believe that the pendant originally was worn on a long black velvet necklace, as was typical of the era. Therefore the 14k yellow gold anchor-link necklace is likely a later, 19th Century addition. This necklace is
interspersed by 18 small pearls and completed by a floral engraved box clasp.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: necklace: 50 cm / 19.50 inches.
Pendant: 50 x 24 mm / 2 x 1 inches.
Weight: 9.40 grams
Age: The pendant was most likely made in Spain and was made in the 18th Century, circa the 1760s. The necklace, I believe, is a 19th Century addition and was made circa the 1860s.
Material: The pendant carries no hallmarks but has been acid tested for 18 karat gold: the necklace has hallmarks for 14 karat gold.
Condition: The necklace is in fair condition with some wear and alterations that were made over the centuries.
The large pearl in the middle of the pendant is cultured and therefore a replacement. I believe that the pearls in the chain are all natural, except for one on the left side, which is larger and rounder.
The settings of two of the smaller emeralds in the top left of the bow have been pierced open in the past: the stones still sit securely in their settings, but this is still important to note.