Second jewelry Q - what the heck is this?

P

Patentleathershoes

VFG Veteran
VFG Past President
Well..this is from the jewel collection i got from an estate. i sold off a few things, but might just lot the rest...

anyways....this is a whatsit. It is actually quite heavy, chain may not be original... again jewelry is not my forte.

i vaguely remember my mother having a pin years ago (with a similar motif but plastic on plastic..perhaps late 60s early 70s...but this one is metal on metal and the black metal made me think of lead or iron.

well...if anything its slightly intriguing looking i suppose : )

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Chris
 
Not sure about it, but have seen losts of neo-gothic stuff from same era you mention. I have a couple of brooches with shields and maces and things. It's hard to say withoout holding it, but for some reason this one looks like it could have been part of an old decoration (for valour, bravery in battle, etc) that someone fashioned in to a necklace. I'd say you were most likely right on about the chain being later. What kind of size are we talking about? That may help.
cheers - kj
 
thanks for the answer...

This is 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches and it weighs about an ounce and a half. doesn't sound too heavy, but compared to any other pendants that are barely a tenth of an ounce, it is. i put it on and you can definitely feel you are weating it! I looked at the chain again and it is way too short (its practically a choker. I guess it would look more updated as a choker anyhow.) and looks newer...i bet it is on a much longer chain to hang mid chest.

It was suggested to me by Sue (bartondoll) that it reminded her of a maltese cross pendent she had at one time, not the same, but similar.

Chris
 
when I was in high school ( 70 -72) we wore necklaces like that. But have no idea what that is?
 
the kicker is that we all are pretty consistent on WHEN we think it is, but it is soooo heavy that i can imagine that someone would have to have a strong neck to wear it all day. If you were a hypnotist and used it to swing back and forth instead of a pocket watch, you could accidental take someone's eye out. Maybe it belonged to one of the members of the Legion of Doom : ) ...though i remember my mother having a simplified version on a pin in plastic, this has a very masculine air about it...kind of has a goth or monastic vibe, except for that happy little flower in the middle of it...maybe someone would wear it to a renassiance festival.
 
Hi Chris,
I come accross these things all the time, They were mass produced by big manufacturers, starting from the late 50's to present. Most of the names you'll see on these, are ones like "Monet", "Coro", Sarah Coventry" even "Trifari" has a few similar type items. It was a decorative interpretation of a popular WWII Military style metal. And of course the "Maltese Cross". Aimed at selling to a younger/ more rebelious, market. Very popular in the 60's to mid 70's, with the Punk Rock groups, and the skin heads. Now I guess it would be called "Gothic".
Of course this is just my personal observation, and not a professional description. So take it for what it's worth. (probably not much) :o)
Good luck with these,
Paula
 
It was just an oddball piece....this whole ladies collection/wardrobe was dainty triple strand chokers with petite lady like pastel little beads, etc.....and then there was this... thanks for the input ...it sounds about right : )
 
Now that you mention the owner's wardrobe I think it could be an older piece... I'd have it looked at if possible. Especially if it's rather heavy. What's the casting like in real life? Intricate and fine? Or rather sloppy with seams? If it were just a piece of unsigned junior-market jewelry I'd think it lighter and poorly cast.
 
I'm no expert, but I would call it a medallion. And given the weight and short chain, I would guess it would be 50's. I have some similar pieces from my aunt and my mother, but don't have time to look for them. I just remember them as being heavy and hitting around the collarbone. I have a similar shaped pendant medallion from the seventies as well but it is lighter in weight and on a much longer chain.

Carol
 
I agree that this is probably an older piece. I would guess 50's also.
Its a widely recognized design, and has been around a long time. I assume it will be reproduced for years to come. Unfortunately, this makes dating it, even harder. Especially if it's not signed.
Paula
 
Or rather sloppy with seams?

i'll examine it again, but i did not notice any seams at all. the goldtone part is cast from a different piece and they are fitted together so tightly that i thought they were one and the same until i flipped it over and saw two tiny gold dots on the back of the black/iron piece....they were totally flush with the back of the iron piece and were in fact where the gold piece interlocked completely with the other like a plug and an outlet, only that they do not come apart at all. fused together?

anyways, i am at a loss for terms at the moment, but i just basically am saying its not one piece with just gold paint applied to part of it - two seperately cast pieces and the goldtone part feels more like regular metal vs iron.

i didn't see any hallmarks, but will have to look again.

90% of this ladies jewels unless it was a gift was purchased on her employee discount from woodward & Lothrop in D.C> from when she started as a young lady in the late 20s/early 30s until she retired.
 
Now I remember this design in the 70's but I have to say they were not metal but plastic and were designed to be worn "choker" style. This would have been in my early high school days so that being said, with this one being cast metal, I would date it much earlier....

Perhaps a piece she encountered along the way and may in fact be a gentleman's piece, someone from her past?

Nanc
 
I do remeber these heavy pendants/ medallions in the 70s- had a few myself that were metal and wieghty. They swung well. But I have also seen this military decoration derived pendant in the 50s and 60s.

Now it could also be a man's pendant from the 60s /70s when swingin' guys got to buy necklaces, too.

Hollis
 
Hollis brings back memories of guys wearing a pendant on a chain and nehru jacket!
 
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