Antique "Collier Chute" Made of Natural Pearls with Diamond Clasp, c. 1920

Today, it seems almost a given that a pearl necklace is a staple of any classic jewellery collection. But before cultured pearls became more widespread in the early 20th century, pearl necklaces were extremely valuable. Each individual pearl required a dive, and only a small fraction of the opened shells contained a pearl at all. It was even more difficult to gather enough pearls that harmonized with one another in colour, shape, luster, and size. “Matching” a high-quality necklace could therefore take years. “It often takes a long time to collect enough pearls to assemble a necklace with uniform pearls. For example, it took five years before the beautiful pearl necklace that Emperor Frederick, as crown prince, presented to his young wife as a wedding gift was completed,” noted the Berlin women’s magazine Der Bazar in 1894. Necklaces made of natural pearls were, accordingly, precious and carefully guarded treasures that were by no means to be found in every jewellery box. Such a necklace made of genuine natural pearls is presented here. The natural saltwater pearls are carefully matched and display subtle nuances ranging from silky white to delicate cream tones. They are very round and exhibit consistently a very good luster throughout. Their gradation is particularly beautiful: from the smaller pearls at the ends to the center, the pearls increase evenly in size. This classic arrangement is known as a “collier en chute”. With a length of 43 cm, the necklace lies close to the neck, allowing the graduated pearls to be shown off to their best advantage. It fastens with a delicate clasp made of platinum set on gold. The clasp is designed as an open quatrefoil, with a diamond of approximately 0.12 ct sparkling at its center. Two smaller diamonds adorn the string holders to the right and left of the clasp: a charming, unusual detail that underscores the necklace’s exceptional value. The necklace was created at the beginning of the 20th century and is very good in condition.

Estimate:£2,446

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