Necklace age? Glass or Amethyst?

I picked this up today. How old do you think this is? It didn't test positive for silver or gold but it is tarnished. A magnet did not stick to it. Brass? Unfortunately, it is missing one of the stones. Do you think these are glass or the real thing? What are the chances of finding a replacement? It's filthy. I wanted to know what it is before I try to clean it. Thank you.

 

Probably glass; I can see wear to the metal, and real amethysts that good would be set in precious metal.

 

Thank you. How old do you think this is?

 

If I were guessing I'd say 70s into the 1980s somewhere. The spring ring looks like it's from that era, and bezel set stones were popular.

 

Thank you. I'm going to try and find a replacement for that missing piece.

 

You can always just remove the empty setting, it may be fine just a bit shorter. It would be no cost and trying to find the replacement may prove to be expensive!

 

I thought about doing that but it is only 15" long.

 

Maybe remove the blank link and add a piece of gold toned chain at the back as an extender, you could add 2-3 inches without compromising the look. If it was 15" originally or 14" with a link removed, it would be limited to those with a fairly slender neck that could wear it anyhow.

 

I will give that a try. Thanks.

 

You're welcome, please let us know how it works out.

 

I remember similar from the '80s, but believe this one is more likely circa 1920s-30s bezel-set Czech glass (love the oblong shape), the spring-ring appears to show less wear and is probably a replacement, though the original was probably also a spring-ring, most were very thin silverplate on brass, worn to just faint remnants of silver.

Suspect finding a replacement would be difficult, you might try adding a complementary centerpiece, or adding a few brass jump-rings or short pieces of old brass chain between each stone (or at the back, as already suggested), or maybe shortening to a bracelet or anklet.

Have seen choker length before, but might also have been taken from a long 'flapper' length necklace. I have one similar to the one linked below, only in blue and I think a bit longer - kind of like the price it brought, might have to dig mine out...

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vtg-Art-De...5?roken=cUgayN&_mwBanner=1#vi__app-cvip-panel

~Cheryl

 

That is a nice price! Thank you for the information and suggestions. I have a stash of broken pieces of old jewelry. I might be able to find some brass chain that matches. I will definitely post a picture when I figure this out.

 

That's probably what I'd do to it, since the odds of finding an exact replacement are pretty low. (Of course no sooner will you have altered and sold the necklace than one will turn up; that's what generally happens to me at least.)