AN INDIAN GOLD-FOILED GEM-SET NECKLACE
Southern India, ca. 1880 - 1920

A reconstituted modern necklace made of twenty-one gold-foiled lac plaques of square shape, set with untested, unevenly cut and sized rubies, emeralds, and glass bead replacements arranged on the four corners of each square and in the centre of the raised diamond-shaped cartouche, each necklace pendant with two pairs of hoops on each side suggesting it was originally strung on both ends and worn like a garland-like long necklace, the reverse hammered and chased in relief with a central lotus flower spray, restrung on a modern thin herringbone gold necklace, the largest plaque 3.7cm x 2cm, 13.5cm neck diam.

* The gold foils covering the lac plaques were XRF tested. Result: 20k gold shellac.

Dimensions: the largest plaque 3.7cm x 2cm, 13.5cm neck diam.