Kundan necklace,Indian ingenuity

[barbaradilek]

I bought this necklace on eBay for £5.00,( approx$8.00 I think) It’s handmade,the “ jewels” are glass,which is traditional in kundan jewellery.I just wanted to share the artisan workmanship,using old techniques,basic metal,but a flurry of tiny( fresh or saltwater?) pearls.I had to look through a loupe to see how they were all fixed together.!

 

[BWeaves]

It's lovely.

 

[CortezPearls]

It is very nice artwork...reminds me a bit of ancient Roman jewelry i some way, but this is very ornate. Those small pearls look like keshi to me. Did you find out what kind of pearls they are? Are they died?

 

[barbaradilek]

The pearls are undyed I think,a few are “ off” a beige or light grey colour,so they havent come from a large batch of uniformly dyed pearls.I hadn’t thought of Keshi,they have a slight orient,but nothing amazing.Thanks for your comments Douglas.I read that these necklaces were made by a team of artisans each with his own skill set,and even though they are base metal overlaid in gold,the work could take up to a week to make one,and the larger ornate pieces in pure gold,made with exactly the same processes,could take 2 months.
A

 

[azra]

A very beautiful piece - I agree it has a very “ancient” flair to it, and even though it is overlaid base metal the work that most have gone into it does make it precious in my opinion. A great find!

 

[pearlescence]

For a fiver??? wow! It's stunning.

 

[barbaradilek]

Have just got round to cleaning the brass on my necklace,and discovered it’s gold.....

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Oh, wow! What a fantastic surprise.

Tell us all the details, please.

 

[StarryPearl]

Have just got round to cleaning the brass on my necklace,and discovered it’s gold.....

O-M-G! Congrats!

 

[KarinK]

Could it be gilded rather than solid gold?

 

[CortezPearls]

Have just got round to cleaning the brass on my necklace,and discovered it’s gold.....

Oh wow! Gets better all the time! Keep us updated!

 

[barbaradilek]

I’m no expert,so could have got it all wrong,and yes,I wondered if it was dipped,but I did the unthinkable and scratched it to find the brass,but if it’s a coating it’s pretty thick.Maybe someone can put me right,in which case I still love the necklace whatever it’s made of,but I tried the scratch test,which Pearlescence mentioned being the test until recently used by the assaying office for hall marking.Quite a few bullion and gold buying sites also give the same test as a faiirly conclusive proof of gold.You scrape your metal across a piece of unglazed ceramic,the back of a plate,or tile.As gold is comparatively soft,it will leave a gold streak,base metals will leave a black one.My wedding ring streaked gold( my husband would have been in deep poo if it hadn’t) The brass key for our grandmother clock was black,and my necklace was the same colour as my wedding ring.What a happy way to spend a wet afternoon...There could well be another explanation,maybe the test isn’t conclusive,but it all add twists and turns to my humble necklaces story.7

 

[BWeaves]

Wow, that's wonderful!

 

[jshepherd]

Beautiful! Those look like they could natural pearls!

 

[CortezPearls]

Wonderful news! Again, this whole necklace has been quite a find!

 

[amti]

That's an amazing buy if it is gold. The only true way to know is by doing an acid test. I recommend purchasing one for this kit. Some gold buyers will test but I would not trust their acid since some of them are not honest. Is dipping gold in bronze common in this type of jewelry? It is a unique piece for sure!

 

[barbaradilek]

Thank you for your comments,Iv been out of the loop for a few weeks,so am catching up.Afterthe initial euphoria of realising it wasn’t brass,and not dipped,do I want to get it checked out? Our local snooty jeweller refuses to believe any Indian jewellery is gold because it doesn’t carry a hallmark,and won’t even demean himself to test unmarked metal.I really don’t want to get into the acid testing game,far too clumsy! So it’s my loss,but the intensive work to fashion the piece makes me think of the jewellers that,regardless of the metal,put in the intricate workmanship so long ago.

 

[CortezPearls]

Sad to hear that...down here you could walk into any of the 10 local jewelers to have your gold tested and for $5 dollars!

 

[theseventhsphinx]

This piece is stunning, I love this kind of intricacy, and generally am drawn jewelry that looks like it has come right out of a musuem display. Right now I want Etruscan and Byzantine styles...Thank you for sharing it!