c. 1820 Textured Gold Chain with Cannetille Clasp

A c. 1820 18k yellow gold Georgian chain, featuring 7 mm belcher-type links textured with a diaper-and-dot pattern, and matched with its original grainetti-cannetille clasp. This chain would have been a longer sautoir length originally; during its ownership history it was reduced to a 15” choker length. Late Georgian chains of this type are generally dated to the 1820 decade; two examples are illustrated on p. 12 & 36 of Georgian Jewellery 1714-1830 by Ginny Redington Dawes with Olivia Collings. Another is illustrated on p. 31 of Antique and Twentieth Century Jewellery by Vivienne Becker. The gold chain had nearly disappeared from women’s dress during the 18th century, a period defined by ribbon chokers, simple black strings, and strung pearls. However, gold chains made a comeback with early 19th c revivalism, which favored historical motifs from both antiquity as well as the Renaissance and Medieval eras. Neoclassical revival of the early 1800s had initially brought back delicate woven mesh and meander chains in the Greco-Roman style. By 1820, a revival of Renaissance fashion brought back accessories like the ferronnière (a hanging chain around the forehead), as well as substantial gold chains long enough to drape over exposed shoulders, a look preserved in many 1820-30s portraits. For example, the 1825 edition of “The Ladies’ Garland” thus described “English female fashions for September”: “Gold chain and embossed Grecian cross; long gold ear-rings, yellow gloves and shoes” (p. 151). In response to wartime inflation, the British government reinstated the gold standard in 1821, leading to a marked decrease in the supply of gold for private consumption and jewelry making (the government had to maintain a stock of gold to back up the currency). Consequently, goldwork of the 1820s was all about making the most of a scarce material by maximizing its surface area and visual appeal, leading to the perfecting of techniques like cannetille, chasing, and repoussé work. Late Georgian chains from this period generally feature relatively lightweight but chunky links with gorgeously rendered textures and intricate clasps.
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