Tracery
Beautiful antique gold coloured metal filigree beads are enhanced by different varieties of the gemstone jasper in this 63.5 cm necklace. For more info on the necklace, please click on Details, and if interested in my musings, please go to Story.
The identification of the beads start from the bead in the centre, moving upwards, with measurement for some of the bigger beads, with metal beads named last.
Length: 63.5 cm (25”)
Weight: 118 gms
Round tabular red jasper: 24 mm
Flower jasper: 14 mm
Picture jasper: 14 mm
Red jasper: 16 mm
Filigree metal beads: approx. 13 mm long by 11 mm wide
Various gold colour metal discs, spacers and tubes.
Gold filled crimp beads
Gold-plated silver box clasp (to ensure that clasp is securely fastened, listen for the click when the hook engages in the box)
The focus of this necklace is the beautiful old filigree metal beads from Sarawak that I bought, many, many years ago from an antique shop in Kuching, my hometown. The shop owner knows his beads, and told me that they are old, heritage beads. I have done some research on these beads and think they could be of Chinese workmanship from the Straits Settlements, early 20th century. I am not sure what metal is used either, as the metal feels a bit hard to be silver. Regardless, I admire the fine filigree handiwork that went into each of these beads. I used the bigger of these filigree beads in a necklace of faceted golden rutilated quartz for myself, a necklace which is still one of my favourites. The smaller ones were used in a short necklace with red picture jasper and kept away. When I started designing for Manik I decided that I would turn it into a more exciting piece!
I kept some of the red picture jasper of the original design, but I felt that it needed to be brightened up, and added bigger red jasper, and brown picture jasper. For a more dramatic effect, I also put in an engraved red jasper tabular bead as a center piece. I needed to make the filigree beads stand out more however and was delighted to find the short three-sided dull gold metal tubes flanking each filigree bead. Finally, I ended the necklace with some short gold colour metal tubes. The colours play off each other and there is warmth and richness to this necklace. The jasper beads complement the old gold colour of the filigree beads, but also stand out, while the filigree beads command attention!
In architecture lexicon, ‘tracery’ refers to ornamental stone openwork, and I am naming this necklace Tracery. I think you could wear it well with lighter or muted tones, but it would also work well with richer colours to create a more dramatic effect, if you so wish!
