A rope chain with a small box clasp is a distinctive marker in this particular cluster of circa World War II “Chinese Charm” jewelry. Some necklaces are quite simple in conception, others are elaborate confections. Notable is the lack of any glass or plastics – all Asian components are gemstones, lacquer, bone, cloisonne, cinnabar lacquer, and exotic seeds.
Lore has it that these were made by the Miriam Haskell
workshop. Apart from the distinctive
rope chain with the small box clasp, the metal findings are combined in a very
unusual way, indicating they were of special interest to the designer. Miriam Haskell is known to have been
fastidious about findings. Charms feature a variety of creatively used metal
accents, with a characteristic use of tiny washers and what look like tiny
gears interlaced between larger components.
Also distinctive is a peculiar sandwich constructed of a brass washer
between two chrysanthemum/daisy petal bead caps. I suspect the two petal caps were first tried
as a pair, as they sometimes appear that way; but then the designer noticed
that the two pieces had a tendency to slip out of alignment, so the brass
washer was added to make any misalignment unnoticeable. Brass drops also make
an appearance. In other words, these
charms were assembled in a more complicated manner than the typical headpin or
eyepin strung with a bead cap, bead, bead cap, and then looped.
These same metal findings also appear in other charm jewelry
with non-Asian components, such as the necklace with casein and phenolic beads
illustrated in the slides below. Apart
from their general 1920s-30s filigree and deco design styles, these metal
pieces seem likely to be pre WWII products of Rhode Island factories, as after
the U.S entered the war in December 1941, costume jewelry factories were banned
from using “strategic metals” considered essential for the military effort,
such as the copper and tin used for brass being diverted to ammunition
production. Whichever workshop was using them to produce these Asian charm
necklaces evidently had the purchasing power to ensure a good supply of them – other
distinctive design lines featuring them will be discussed in forthcoming blog
posts.
A grateful tip ‘o the hat to those who granted permission to
use their photos in the slides below.
These are uncommon pieces of jewelry, each individually composed, unlike
the hundreds of cast and stamped costume jewelry pieces from large factories.
Temporary Link: Those
interested in acquiring one of these necklaces can visit MalenasVintageBoutique
on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/386505456891
Click on photos below to enlarge, or open in a new tab to magnify even further.
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