Chantilly Trinity Necklace
The revolving bead pendant necklace we introduced last year was a big hit. So this year we decided to enlarge the design to accommodate some special bigger vintage glass ovals we discovered on a recent button hunting trip.
The three-sided spinning pendant featured in this necklace is a recreation of a Victorian gentleman’s watch fob. Watches were invented in 1750 but wristwatches didn’t come into vogue until after WWI. So in the centuries between these innovations, men kept their watches in their pockets.
Most pocket watches hung from a chain adorned with a decorative fob. A fob added weight to the chain which made it easier to withdraw the watch from a pocket. However, the fobs, because they were visible, were also decorative and fashionable.
The most fashionable of all was a spinner fob which had two or three sides, which turned so the owner could choose which decorative element to show off. In this necklace, the fob hangs from the chain vertically while on an actual watch fob it would have spun horizontally from a curved bar.
One of the ovals in the fob is a mid-century glass picture stone depicting a courting couple in Limoges style. This style originated in the eighteenth century and is commonly associated with the production of ornately painted, high-quality china that was most often produced near the city of Limoges in France.
This necklace features a sliding clasp that enables you to adjust its length to suit any neckline. You can wear it as a choker, as a long pendant, or anywhere in between.
In this piece:
- Vintage Limoges-style glass picture stone of eighteenth-century couple, made in West Germany circa 1950s or 1960s
- Amber glass and goldstone lampworked Cherry Brand cabochon from post World War II allied Occupied Japan
- Vintage mid-century malachite glass cabochon, made in Western Germany
- Three-sided, brass-plated pewter casting made in the USA
- Hand-wrapped green chalcedony beads and bead chain
- An antiqued brass chain in tassel and with a slider clasp
- Chain adjusts via a sliding magnetic clasp from a 15" choker to 32" long pendant
Shop the collection: Necklaces