Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant

Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant
Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant
Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant
Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant
Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant

Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant
Markings: Unmarked, Tested, Guaranteed. Country of Origin: China. Gram Weight: 37 Grams. Main Stone Carat Weight/Color: Ox Blood Red Coral. Accent Stone Carat Weight/Color: The Turquoise has a blue to green light hue. Stone Treatment: The stones appear to be untreated, but we are not certified Gemologists and cannot be sure. Item Measurements: The pendant measures 2.5″ by 1.75″ by almost. Closure/Clasp Type: Slider Bale – Measures 5.2 mm and will fit any chain. Pendant Type: Prayer Box. Notable Features: This pendant would have been handmade during the Art Deco era. Exotic jewelry from the far east was all the rage during this era. The pendant has Tibetan influences and would have been made for the upper class Chinese market. The pendant is what’s called a Prayer Box and opens up along the bottom to keep a keepsake inside. The pendant is large and will fit just about any chain, but would look best with a thick slider chain. The silver would have been hand hammered in the repousse form. The front of the pendant includes raised repousse leaf patterns, as well as unique designs where Ox Blood Red Coral and Turquoise are set into. This pendant is truly a museum quality piece of jewelry. Please don’t miss your chance to own this special part of history. Damage: Age appropriate wear. This listing is for the item only. The Art Deco era is famous for being the “Gatsby” or “Roaring Twenties” era. A lot of gorgeous and timeless designs in jewelry came out of this period. Jewelry from this period was most often crafted between 1920 and 1940. Art Deco jewelry sometimes featured white gold or platinum, geometric designs, European cut diamonds, filigree, and calibre cut stones that are specifically cut to fit the design of the piece. During the Art Deco period jewelers often made jewelry upon custom order, this would often take weeks to months to completely craft by hand. Chinese export jewelry became popular during the late Victorian period and persisted until the 1960s. During this period, Chinese craftsmen were considered by far the best in the world. The rich and wealthy would custom-order a piece through their local jeweler, who would send the design off to China to be made and sent back to Europe. This lengthy process was very expensive, making Chinese export pieces highly desirable, then and now. Tibetan jewelry and art is deeply symbolic. It is part of everyday life and is connected with religious beliefs and social status. Tibetan jewelry is quite beautiful, featuring large, simple designs with vibrant colors. The colors most used are bright red and blue. Tibetan silver and goldsmiths were so talented, with skills passed down through families from generation to generation, that their jewelers were believed to be one of the wonders of the Medieval world! The jewelry is made from the highest-quality silver and often features turquoise, coral, lapis and amber gemstones. Tibetans believe that turquoise and coral have healing qualities and that gemstones can provide protection and help with enlightenment. Prayer boxes come in many shapes, sizes, and materials, and are used by many different faiths, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. These faiths would encourage practitioners to write down prayers or religious musings on a small piece of paper and put it inside the prayer box. If the prayer box was small enough, it could be incorporated into jewelry, so the prayers could be carried everywhere with the wearer. Chinese stone cutters were considered some of the finest artisans in the world. They would spend years learning to hand-carve many different types of stones, and excelled in creating finely detailed pieces other artisans couldnt even hope to compare to. Their skill was so refined that they could even carve delicate stones like coral and jade. Chinese stone cutters were so talented that Victorian era European socialites would commission pieces from them, preferring the hefty price tag that came with such high quality work to the ready availability of Western stonework. Ox Blood coral is a type of coral primarily found in the South China Sea. This type of coral features a blood-red hue and has been a staple of Chinese Stonecutters for decades. Smaller pieces are typically carved and used in jewelry, some of which was meant for the Chinese Export market. Finding large pieces of Ox Blood coral intact is a rarity, making large carvings extremely expensive to obtain. Chinese turquoise is considered a very valuable stone by the Chinese, second only to jade. In fact, Chinese Turquoise was often used to supplement or replace jade. Chinese turquoise was highly prized for its rarity and gorgeous, bright blue hues. Stones that exhibit a spiderweb matrix are quite rare and deeply coveted. Chasing is a metalworking technique that uses a nail-like tool and hammer to hand etch patterns onto a metal surface. This process creates a design that is sunk into the front of the surface using indentations, grooves, and channeling. Chasing is thousands of years old and was very difficult and time-consuming technique that is still used by metalsmiths today. Repoussé began as an ancient metal working technique dating as far back as the 3rd century BC, involving malleable metal that was hammered onto the reverse side to create an image on the front. Examples are found all over the world; Greece, Egypt, and even the Hopewell periods in the American southeast. Reverse side hammering was also used to add detail to the front, creating intricate patterns using grooves, indentations, and channeling. The piece was then carefully polished to create a hollow, eye-catching treasure. PLEASE WAIT FOR AN UPDATED INVOICE BEFORE PAYING FOR YOUR ITEMS. Thank you for your cooperation. The item “Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant” is in sale since Sunday, April 08, 2018. This item is in the category “Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Fine\Art Nouveau/Art Deco 1895-1935\Necklaces & Pendants”. The seller is “abeautifultimeco” and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped worldwide.
  • Style: Pendant
  • Metal: Sterling Silver
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: China
  • Metal Purity: .925
  • Ethnic Origin: Chinese
  • Main Stone: Coral
  • Stone #2: Turquoise

Antique Vintage Deco Sterling Silver Chinese Tibetan Coral Prayer Box Pendant