Description
NOW RESERVED for J****************** Thank you!
This is undoubtedly a one-off splendid piece of Arts and Crafts work from the early years of the twentieth Century and is firmly attributed to Mary Thew, having a number of features I have seen in other work by Thew. I cannot stress enough how wonderful this necklace is- asides from the sensational hand-wrought design of the silver work, it has a large panel of moss agate, the pale blue to green of which has been lifted out and focussed upon by the use of a natural aquamarine (tested and confirmed). The artistic eye of the designer and maker here is really to be admired.
To me, the necklace sings Scotland. The use of the moss agate is very grounding…it is a pale beige slice with so many of these blue “mossy” inclusions. Mary Thew lived and worked for a while in Kirkudbright with other “Glasgow Girls” such as Jessie King, so the aquamarine reflects the importance of the sea in that place.
There are hand wrought twisted rope links with lots of double circular links attaching them to each other. A 3-part leaf design appears in the main plaque and then in no less than 5 roundel spacers connecting the two sets of chains. The main plaque is of an open work design and as well as these distinctive leaves, there are spirals and silver trail work, also typical of Thew.
The sparkly, faceted pear-shaped aquamarine is so well-coloured in that pale aqua green/blue and it is set in a strong, hand worked large squared tooth setting, which I have also seen in Thew’s pieces from time to time. The toggle and fastener are hand-wrought and distinctive. This piece is rooted in the organic and natural world.
The splendour of this fabulous necklace is so impressive that it begs the question of it being a privately commissioned piece. My feeling is yes.
The pendant section height from the 3-leaf spacer above the aquamarine is approx 9.2cm and the width of the plaque is approx 5.2cm. This is a statement piece indeed. The wearable length of the necklace is approx 37cm (a touch over 14.5 inches). I have just tried it on…the first set of spacers sat against my neck-choker style and the pendant section sat just below the throat- very attractive when worn.
I will send in a new protective necklace box to keep her safe. Boxes in the images are for display only-thank you. I will send by Special Delivery within the UK and by International courier otherwise.
