Vintage Sterling Silver & Amber Necklace Handcrafted - 20" - 17-18g - OOAK

Description

What an incredible necklace this is! The pictures just don’t do it justice.
Large sterling bib collar necklace with three absolutely beautiful Baltic (?) amber cabochons hanging off sterling snake chains make this the ultimate statement piece. The sterling is so shiny that it was one of the hardest pieces to get pics of because it reflected everything. Any dark spots you see on the piece are just shadows and reflections and not on the silver itself.
This necklace looks to be handcrafted and the sterling shapes of swirls and the heart look to have been hand cut. They are not uniform by any means and it adds to the character of the necklace.
The amber cabochons are stunning. I believe them to be Baltic Amber as they have that deep cognac coloration and inclusions that are characteristic of Baltic Amber stones. Either way, they are genuine amber and as you can see from the photos, are rich in color...they are even better in person!
Baltic Amber dates from 44-45 million years ago and isn’t actually a stone but rather fossilized resin. Because it was initially liquid, as it formed it created bubbles and took in bugs, plant life and anything else that would stick to it. Some of the best museum pieces have full insects and other creatures still in it! The cabochons used in this necklace here look to have lots of old bubble like inclusions and they both give them depth and allow the light dance on and in the pieces.
The whole piece weighs between 17-18g and is 20” long. The main bib section and clasp are clearly stamped: 925 but there is no makers mark that can be found. That’s a shame because the designer really made a wonderful piece here.
The bib section measures in at 2” at its widest point and just under 2” from top to bottom.
This necklace doesn’t look as of it was worn a lot, if at all. I am sorry that I do not know the exact age of this piece. It was acquired with several other sterling pieces of various ages from 60’s through mid-90’s. I’m thinking this one leans towards the latter.
There is a super light brushing to the silver that only really shows up in the close up photos and looks to be from initial polishing. Again, this sterling is high shine and in almost like-new condition. There is very little tarnishing near the connection spots that come with being in a jewelry box for years and I will do a very light polishing before I send it out to you. Any additional cleaning is up to the buyer. I do recommend using a soft polishing cloth when it’s time to do so again. Liquid cleaners can permanently damage the amber.
This was a wonderful find and I’m so happy to be able to offer it to you now.
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Thanks so much for looking and please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. I invite you to come follow me on Instagram for updates on sales, listings and more: @stuffwefind
On Mar-15-21 at 14:44:13 PDT, seller added the following information:
Please note that the measurement for its width is off in the original description. It is actually 2 1/2” wide.