All Along the Way
elva
When one of our all-time favorite vintage shops in town closed (we miss you already, Elizabeth!) we went for a visit at the owner's request to sift through some odds and ends she'd found while packing that she wondered if we might be able to use. In an old plastic bag were three curved celluloid ornaments. They were almost of a faint tortoise shell pattern and hue and seemed to be carved with the most magnificent floral and foliate designs, each lined with a row of pierced holes along their edge. Perhaps originally sewn onto a garment, they were fascinating and wonderful, and I happily brought the trio to the studio.
Each of them has now been incorporated in a design, and this one, the largest of the three, was the first. Paired with two strands of textured fire agate beads, the black and beige pattern provides a striking contrast to the more delicate details of the ornament-turned-pendant. Rather than leaving the pendant's perforations untouched, we opted to hand-wire faceted brass beads from India with fine vintage brass wire along the edge, creating a striking outline for the central element and a hint at the same beads seen in the necklace's strands. The overall effect is one of unusual elegance, of unique allure, rich with history and a bit of mystery. And let's not forget, this one-of-a-kind beauty is unmistakably and forever fashionable. Measures 20" in length with a gilt copper toggle clasp at back. (Pendant measures approximately 4.5" in length.)
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