Amber necklace, originated in Germany , given to my mother by her mother, thus given to me upon my mothers death. Believe it to be butterscotch amber, although some beads appear darker in color. Several of the amber beads have inclusions, such as plant matter, and one inclusion looks like a bug or crab. 50 total amber beads. Total length 19 inches. Necklace has never been restrung. Has been in jewelry box for over 50 years.
Dimensions
Acquired From:
Inherited
Hello Patricia, I’m very glad that you chose Mearto for your online appraisal, Considering the photographs, overall pattern, stone quality and the colours, I concluded that this is a Natural Amber Necklace Including Some Butterscotch Coloured Pieces in Composition. Datign back to the period between 1925-1935. Amber is a natural stone formed by ancient resin of mostly pines and some other tree species. Amber is one of the most heavily used semi-valuable stone that has been used in jewellery making since the 4th Century BC according to written sources. Of course as all of the precious and semi-precious stones, amber has a classification based on colour, inclusions and contents. In your piece we can detect that most of the beads are likely to be classified as what we call a "Butterscotch Amber". This name is due to it's milky colour in comparison to classical amber colour. These beads are priced highly due to their rarity in nature. As you've suggested there might exist many inclusions and in some cases even fossil of insects inside the amber. Since it is a perfect material to preserve the fossils do not decompose inside the amber and this of course adds a considerable value to the piece. As the early 20th century examples we can see that your piece is following a pattern which the beads are getting bigger and reaching a single largest amber stone in the center. This pattern was heavily used during the early 20th century which would confirm the period. In perfect preserved conditon without any faults. A total of 50 Amber beads. Entirely made of natural Amber. Dimensions: 19 Inches of Lenght Condition: In perfect preserved conditon without any faults. Provenance: Current customer's grandfather gave it to customer's grandmother in Würzburg Germany as an engagement gift in early 1930's. 300-400$. Please don’t hesitate to reach us again for more online appraisals on your precious items, thank you for choosing Mearto.
