CategoriesJewelry and Fashion Object Types
Necklaces
Ornaments worn around the neck, from shell beads and Egyptian collars to diamond rivières, long Art Deco sautoirs and studio jewellery.
No works indexed yet · 10 related artists
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About
People were stringing pierced shells as beads tens of thousands of years ago, making the necklace one of the oldest forms of personal ornament. Ancient Egyptians wore broad collars of faience and gold beads in rows, and Indian temple jewellery shaped gold into deities and flowers. In Georgian and Victorian Europe the rivière set a line of graded gems close to the throat, while the 1920s favoured the sautoir, a long rope of pearls or beads ending in a tassel.
Van Cleef & Arpels's Zip necklace, conceived before the Second World War, could be worn open or fastened into a bracelet. Contemporary jewellers such as Lin Cheung and Rebecca Hannon question what a necklace can say, using humble materials and ideas as much as precious ones. Look at the clasp, the stringing or links and how the necklace moves and lies.
