Featured Vintage Glass bead necklace - 52" long

My mother's oldest sister wore this type of long necklace in the 20s. I used to do beadwork so I collected a lot of old bead necklaces.This one needs to be restrung because it broke in half. I always loved it and did wear it back in the 60s looped twice so it didn't hang down to my knees! Each of the red beads is about 3/4" long

 

I used to were 1920s necklaces back in the 60s. And yes double strand as they are opera length.

Love yours. Would have worn that too.

 

Beautiful depth of colour, Bev.
I used to wear my great-grandmother's long French jet (glass) necklace double strand until it broke. It is still waiting for me to fix it, poor thing. Like yours it is hand-knotted, so I keep putting it off. Worth it though, it is part of a set with a shorter necklace, brooch, bracelet, an ornamental haircomb and hairpins.

 

It's not a hard job. Tedious, but not hard.

 

I know, I usually shove a pin in the beadhole and knot around that so the knot can be tightened against the bead. But the whole necklace has to be redone, the thread is 19th century and wearing away, and there are a few badly chipped beads. Handknotting roughly 2 metres of bead neclace is not something I look forward to. But it will be worth it. Some day.

 

When I was doing it regularly, I found knotting restful, almost meditative. I'm the only person I know who feels this way.

 

I used to love polishing silver for the same reason. My muscles don't agree with me anymore....

 

Now that I find tedious. Maybe if you could do it the way they used to, with your thumbs.

 

Thumbs have muscles as well. I just do small parts at a time, at times when my muscles don't object. Other times the silver just has to wait. I must say, silver is very patient.