Featured Foil glass inlaid and pearl beaded necklace help ID

Hi guys,
My latest find. Bead necklace, quite a mixture of beads, faux pearl with metal findings, glass beads that appear foiled glass with inlaid roses, round and elongated clear glass beads, white stone chips and silver tone metal elongated beads. The pearls are of two differed sizes, the bigger pearls and the glass beads are attached with ajour metal joints, the rest with simple metal joints. It has no clasp, closed loop, flapper length, but the loop is disjointed and needs to be repaired.

I wonder what age and origin it is. Also are the foiled glass lampwork? How are they made? Any thoughts are much appreciated! Thank you for looking!

 

Foiled lampwork, yes. They might be Italian. Gut feel is that it's seventies, with those rather white pearls and long rod beads. It's very pretty.

 

Thank you very much OBB, much appreciated!
Lampwork foiled glass, probably Italian from 1970s. Indeed it looks pretty and is well preserved, even under strong magnifying glass there is no damage to the pearls which is quite unusual with vintage faux pearls, IMO.

 

Agreed, they can chip very easily. Someone will love that for spring.

 

Thanks, OBB!
I made a quick search and this type of foiled glass seems to be called "wedding cake". Is it correct?
Also it seems that it is a common combination with pearls:
VTG Murano Copper Fleck Venetian Wedding Cake Art Beads Faux Pearl Necklace 50+" | eBay
Also here similar findings:
Unbranded | Jewelry | Vintage Murano Glass Wedding Cake Beaded Necklace Foil Gold Speckle Beads 56 | Poshmark

The design and whiteness of the necklace somehow radiate the feeling of bride's jewelry, IMO

Thanks again, OBB, spot on!

 

Look a bit newer to my eye but... Those chips were a very '70s thing.

Debora

 

I'd not call it wedding cake, the beads aren't encrusted or elaborate enough.

Debora, with you on the chips, they were very 70s.

 

Exactly what I was going to say! Lovely early spring necklace

 

Thank you, OBB! I thought the term "wedding cake" refers to this pink rose inlaid motif in the foiled glass, IMO it indeed resembles the decoration of a wedding cake. Understand that it is not enough, and the term refers to more sophisticated designs.

Thank you, Debora, I also thought it might be newer judging by the state of the beads. Or very well kept, if indeed from 1970s.

Thank you, KSW! Actually I plan to wear it myself

 

In favour of 1970s dating - now as you said it, OBB, I remembered one of the very few Mom's necklaces (she was not that kind of person) with similar elongated beads on silver tone metal rods and connected with white tone chain links, but they are made of light white pearl tone plastic, probably Lucite. I vaguely recall her wearing them in 1970s.

 

Here is a photo from a live auction that shows a picture of wedding cake beads. They are often floral with as you said a rose motif, but one feature is that they have sort of a 3D decoration on the outside of the bead as well.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/2851521989...vw70RbnOoYDQz/BDl9SRK0Xb4O|tkp:Bk9SR7q8z8nOYQ

 

Thank you Lucille! Got it

 

Sorry for the long post, but I got carried away. I think your necklace is beautiful, IvaPan, whether vintage, new or a combination. Sometimes it's difficult to determine the age of a necklace with glass beads because there are so many new beautiful glass beads of all types being made. I find that I have to be more cautious when looking at glass bead necklaces for resale (especially when they don't have clasps) because I know there are people who make necklaces that look vintage, but they're made with new beads or a combination of new and old. (I realize you didn't buy this necklace to re-sell, so the most important consideration is that you like it).

Beadaddict.co.uk is just one example of a website that sells new artisan-made Venetian Murano foiled glass beads. They have a few examples with the embedded rose-like squiggles (but not exactly like yours). Yours look like vintage "sommerso" foiled glass beads with the foil part submerged or suspended inside glass. New sommerso style authentic Italian handmade Murano glass bead jewelry is even being sold on Amazon. Amazon also sells the pierced/ajour beadcaps exactly like those on your necklace.

Sometimes people think if a necklace is made with wire links it's vintage, but that's not always a determining factor either. My sister makes necklaces to sell using combinations of new and vintage glass beads, pearls, etc, and sometimes she makes them with wire links (she's self taught and began in her 70s). It's easier than people think if you have the right needle-nose pliers, but it takes time, although maybe not much more than hand-knotting a necklace, especially since it doesn't take as many beads to get the same length.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I can't say for certain if your necklace is authentic vintage, new, or a combination of vintage and newer beads assembled by someone who had the time and patience to make the wire links.

 

I'd not use sommerso as a term for these at all. That's very specific to glass which has submerged layers of different colours, rather than simply an encased piece or foil.

This is a good definition of sommerso:

https://www.20thcenturyglass.com/glass_encyclopedia/murano_glass/other_glass/sommerso/



Lucille, nice example of wedding cake beads, just what I had in mind.

 

I guess the use of sommerso for glass beads is like so many other terms that are being co-opted by sellers. If you search "sommerso glass beads" there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of examples of beads that include that term. If I were looking to buy glass beads that look like IvaPan's foil beads I would include the word "sommerso" in my search. Here's just one example (although they don't look much like a traditional sommerso-style/technique) https://www.beadaddict.co.uk/index.php?route=product/search&search=sommerso glass beads

 

Urg, I hate it when sellers do that. Not one of those is sommerso. They're aventurine inclusions, not even foiled.

 

Agree, but it appears sommerso has become a commonly used term for Venetian glass beads that look like something is floating inside. I didn't include the word "foiled" in the above beadaddict search so the seller doesn't call them foiled beads, but I've googled sommerso foiled glass beads and found many examples from different sellers.

 

Here's a better example of what I meant by certain terms being co-opted by sellers: "Vintage Murano Glass Necklace Green Floral Silver Foil Sommerso Wedding Beads"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285019196106

 

Oh lord. Every single word on that title is wrong. Other than green and beads!

 

Thank you, Joan, for sharing your thoughts and information about Murano beads, vintage and modern. Very interesting and informative. Thanks also for this interesting site beadaddict, I didn't know about it. IMO, I reason that these beads cost quite a bit, so if we add up the costs of 4 foil beads, all pearls and other beads, and all metal findings, the amortisation of soldering equipment, and the cost of labour for assembling, the necklace cost of production (if handmade now by some enthusiast or local artisan) will go at least to 15-20 pounds (at Murano bead prices at beadaddict) not to mention any profit on it. I don't see much logic to invest 15 pounds (at least) and then sell it at a flee market for 1 Euro (for which I bought it). I'd rather think that it is vintage of 1970s and was disposed of because it was deemed unworthy. But of course, it well can be that it is modern and someone donated or sold it for a symbolic price for some reason.

OBB, thank you for your clarifications, now it is more clear to me what the necklace is and how it should be called.

Actually, the "green bead" thing seems similar to mine, only the foil looks more colorful.

Thank you all again for the interesting discussion! I have much clearer picture now.