Featured 34 inch amber bead necklace

They fluoresce under black light, so I think they are amber. They have had a hard life partly due to the brass fixings I would think. 34 inches long seems like flapper length? Largest bead is half an inch diameter. I found another on Etsy with faceted beads and similar brass but with a lobster clasp, the seller said it was 1980s but I think mine is older. (I haven’t washed them yet)
Any thoughts please? Thanks.

 

interesting the way that they're cut !

the wire has hard sharp edges........that's so wrong....

 

I’ve a few like this, but they’re glass. Between the wars Czech.

 

When I picked them up I thought they might have been plastic as they were so light.

 

And not cold? That wear does look amber. They need a good polish with that wax @kyratango uses.

anyhow, links and clasp are thirties ish.

 

Not cold, thanks for the confirmation of older than 1980s.

 

Definitely amber from here too. I've had beads with that sort of wear on them.

 

I’m not sure if they are cut Komo, I thought they may be pressed into moulds to give the facets. The edges aren’t sharp but they are pretty bashed up in places anyway. The brass links are a menace with the amber, I’ve not seen many online like this thank goodness.

 

I have to read up on how you press amber into a shape like that.....

 

Cut amber is a thing.

 

Cut amber with those irregular facets. Could be 1910s or a bit older, with those metal links. What we now call flapper length necklaces were already worn in the 1890s.

A hard life can do that to amber, but it is still a lovely necklace. A bit of TLC will make it look good again.

Grease from her nose?

The Polish amber institute advises olive oil. I always use rice bran oil because it is very thin and doesn't leave a film, but I'm sure any oil that isn't too thick will do.

 

Thanks for the information AJ, I’ll wash and dry them first. I’ve been very lucky to get these and some white coral beads recently without really knowing what they were.

 

It can be moulded using heat and pressure, I’m glad to hear mine hasn’t though.

 

Absolutely. Most amber used in jewellery is pressed. That is how they get uniform shaped beads.
Facet-cut amber is worth more though.

 

May not work on amber , but the store card I found with stone fetishes my mother purchased said to use old English furniture polish on them. I had never read that before.

 

I wouldn't put it on my amber necklaces. It has a list of 19 ingredients, most of which cause serious health issues including cancer. Not really something I would want touching my skin.
Olive oil has one ingredient, so does rice bran oil.

 

Very beautiful find, congratulations! I like amber and try to buy whenever I find it at a decent price.

 

I wish I could remember what the wax is called.... damn.

 

I wouldn't use anything with more than one or two ingredients either. Mineral oil might be OK, but good old olive oil is probably the safest option.

 

good point. I have used olive oil on polished stones to retain the "wet" look color.