Need advice on coral necklace

[mforjan]

Hi Joolies, I got this necklace at a house call almost 2 years ago thinking I would restring it. I can do simple stringing but now I am wondering if it deserves more care. I was looking at it again the other day and realized the clasp is nicely made. I tested it and it is 14k.

In photo 1 you can see how long it is. Photo 2 shows the clasp, notice to the left of the clasp the first bead has rounded ends. Photo 3 is from the middle of the strand, notice the barrel shaped bead.

The broken end (opposite the end with the clasp) is missing the first bead with rounded ends. When restrung I think I will have to redistribute the branch coral pieces to make even amounts for each section, then I will have to use the remaining barrel beads to end each half since I only have 1 of the rounded edge beads. Is all this making sense?

I also think it should be knotted at each end of the barrel shape beads for safety.

This is what I can't decide, is this an older necklace, Victorian or possibly Georgian? If so, should I send it out to be restrung by a professional?

Here are 2 closed listings for coral necklaces I found. The small beads in mine are branch coral, the small beads in both listings are carved into little shapes so that is different.

Any thoughts or comments will be wonderful, I just can't decide if this necklace is special enough to get professionally restrung.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Georgian-carved-rolling-pin-natural-red-coral-necklace-original-clasp-/3826...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LONG-ANTIQUE-VICTORIAN-FACETED-NATURAL-RED-CORAL-BEADS-NECKLACE-/2927848200...

Whole necklaceClaspCenter

[thirry]

Nice necklace!  As far as age, I'm thinking more recent if what I *think* I'm seeing is for real. Is that an insertion clasp? I might be wrong but I think those are later than Victorian.

Getting it restrung will almost certainly be expensive given the length of the necklace, so I suggest you check several places that do their own repairs as a regular jeweler will probably send it out and charge you their cost for the repair plus whatever they would charge for handling (as one charge).

I see what you mean about the beads, and I think you have the right idea.

Allison

[mforjan]

Thanks Allison! I think it is called a "box clasp"? I have been looking at all the resource links and not finding anything that shows a timeline for necklace clasps but I'll keep looking 

[arlene_v]

Hi Marie,

Well this is a very interesting thread. I've never come across these old carved coral rolling pin necklaces and am quite excited to learn about them. 

I'm not sure of the age of yours because it is not quite the same as those examples. 

I think that you could probably do this yourself.  Why not see how it goes and if it really doesn't look right then  send it out to a professional for restringing, but give it a whirl first. 

[arlene_v]

I'm pretty sure I've seen clasps that are  similar to that one on Georgian and Victorian jewelry. I will try to find examples. 

[mforjan]

Oh thank you very much Arlene!!!!!!!

[arlene_v]

Marie, I have a Georgian pinchbeck  necklace and also a Georgian gold necklace with clasps that are similar to the style of clasp I'm seeing in your coral necklace with the "tongue"  part that inserts and fits into the other portion of the clasp.  I can take a pic of the pinchbeck one if you like and post it here,  (the other one is not with me at home at the moment), and you and others can see if you agree with me that there is a similarity. 

[ms.sellainy]

I think the necklace is Victorian. I've been searching through my research notes for the date and information about the clasp, but must go out for a few hours. Basically it's a type of box clasp with a narrow pin that snaps into place once inserted in the box section that's built into a bead.  It's an old style, perhaps the first type of box clasp used. Will continue to look for more information when I return. 

[mforjan]

Thank you both! I have a feeling this necklace is older but I know that an older clasp can also be used more recently. I have had plastic moonglow necklaces with this same kind of clasp though not in gold. It is so hard to know what to do!

I think the advice to try restring myself and see how it comes out is sound. If I think I have not done a good job I can always have it redone. I did that with a graduated angel skin coral necklace, I did it twice and was never happy with the results so I sent it off to a professional. When I got it back I knew it was the right decision 

[rixstuff]

My mom and aunt have lots of coral stuff they bought in the 80s as souvenier pieces (grandpa was in the military so traveled everywhere) so no necessarily an antique but definintely several years old.  The coral is dying so it is getting harder to find it and it isn't being used much anymore.

[ms.sellainy]

I found my notes. Some variation of the box clasp has been in use since they were first made by hand in 1770.

In 1880, the "plunge clasp" was invented and became the box clasp of choice. I believe the clasp on your necklace with the receptive end embedded in the bead, is an example of  a plunge clasp. This supports my first impression, that the necklace dates to the late Victorian era.

The next change came in 1910 with the tongue in groove "W" clasp, a wider box clasp, and in 1940, a simpler tongue in groove box clasp was introduced. 

If you take a very close look at late Victorian era branch coral necklaces, and compare them to those from the 20th century, you may notice that in earlier necklaces, the pieces of coral were smaller. Alhough no two pieces were exactly alike, they were shaped and selected for some uniformity in size that allowed the pieces to fit very close together, making them appear more densely strung. After the turn of the 20th century, styles started to gradually change. By the 1940s, larger, longer pieces of branch coral were in vogue, often arranged in graduating sizes.  

I don't have the link, but according to my notes, the dates for clasp findings were published in a jewelry timeline that can be found online. 

It's hard to find examples that would help date the embedded bead box clasp. I found two Victorian examples without the bead. The first is a box clasp in the shape of a fish. For info only:

http://www.antiques.com/classified/1150255/Antique-14K-Gold-Necklace-Chain--Fish-Clasp--47--Antique

https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/15877153-antique-necklace-made-of-facet-cut-carnelian-and-14-kt-...

[ms.sellainy]

For one of those links, I think the second one, you will have to scroll down a bit to see the necklace and clasp. 

[mforjan]

WOW, thank you so much for all that wonderful information!!! This board is so amazing, everyone is so willing to help 

I will try restring it myself this winter, if it comes out well I will show it off to you all. I did feel the piece was older from the examples I pulled (even though they had much better beads like the rolling pin ones). That and the person I got it from had his sister’s, mother’s,  grand mother’s and great grand mother’s jewelry. I got a lot of goodies that day!

[oncoyotemountainart]

I have a hunch you won't be the first person to restring it.  I don't think it would have originally been strung with black string or cord.  It would have been an odd choice in any era.  It's too contrasty and takes away from the coral.  

So go for it!  The two string thing is a little harder, use a beading needle, but it's perfectly doable.

[history_belle]

I believe that your necklace is Mediterranean coral.  The semi-translucent color, the even bright red, the lack of white in the beads and the cut of the beads are characteristics that I have seen and owned.  It is traditionally strung on coral colored thread, not black, so I feel that your necklace was re-strung at some point in the past.  However, I think that your necklace is closer to mid-century than Victorian.  In Victorian times, Italian coral was made into larger beads, round or carved, and was knotted between beads.  Red Mediterranean coral was not as rare as today and became more and more rare during the 20th century.  As it became more rare, it began to be found in smaller sized beads, in more irregular shapes, and multiple strands to give a larger effect.  Here is a coral necklace with a bead clasp, though the clasp is different from yours.  (BTW it has been re-strung because bead tips were used in this stringing, something that doesn't appear until later 20th century.)

https://beadparadise.com/products/antique-italian-coral-necklace

Mediterranean coral is very, very expensive today.  Small 3mm irregular polished beads sell for over $100 for a 16 inch strand, if they can be found at all.   So, your necklace is well worth re-stringing.  Good luck with a lovely and valuable necklace!