Featured Anyone know anything about the age or origin of this scarab necklace

Hi,
Kinda haven’t seen anything like this. It’s not marked but tests for silver co tent with 18k acid. The scarabs have a matte fee to them. Not sure what the stones or whatever would be. They are also crudely pinched in the bezel setting. Not loose or anything. Is it missing a clasp?? It works the way it is but…. This kinda looks like it has a little age to it. Such an odd but cool piece.

What say ye?
Thank you for any help

 

I can't say too much other than the scarabs "LOOK" old, and real to me, and on the back of the silver "things" it looks like there are some old and faint, kind of random marks/letters, might want to gently try a little cleaner???? OR ask someone else first!!!

​

 

I’ll look it over again but I could not find anything resembling a mark. I hate to clean older things!!! It also looks like the squiggly guys are hand cut and not poured

Thank you for looking

 

I know the scarabs themselves, along with billions of others, were made in Egypt, are still being made in Egypt. Can't tell from pix whether pottery or wood.

The necklace was not made in Egypt & looks to me to be the work of a hobbyist/beginning student. Are any of the jump rings soldered? You show some that are not.

 

Am I the only one to see Keith Haring in those squiggles ? In the 70's King Tut was all the rage.

 

Now you say it, I can see Haring dancers. And I had one of these scarabs as a souvenir from an earlier Tut tour.

 

no.....first thing I noticed...
otherwise the necklace doesn't make any sense !!!!!

 

Hi,

The scarabs are not wood. Some of the jump rings are not soldered which is why I tested it Keith who? Off to look that up.

 

The scarabs do look right to me, and you can buy ancient ones quite easily. They’ll be made from faience. I suspect someone bought them and had them mounted.

 

I looked up what was used to make scarabs in ancient times. As Ownedbybear mention Faience was one of the materials. They also used steatite which is soapstone that becomes harder when fired. (didn't know that) They were also made from green jasper. What I also found out that they were drilled to be worn on a cord or on a swivel ring. I always thought they were beads when they had the hole but the cord and ring make sense ,since they were often used as signet .

 

What are the clues for Faience? I've got a nice old? ring, set with a green scarab...somewhere. I'm on the hunt, now!

 

Faience will be warmer at first touch, and it's basically pottery. Stones will be colder and also see through with a torch, often.

 

Good work, Obb...Thanks!

 

I was reading up on all of that last night. The prices are all over the place for them

 

The faience ones look glazed and sometimes you can see the pottery in the hole .

 

That too.

 

These are like a matte finish. I don’t think they are glazed