Those who have read Part One of these posts about my 1930s vintage jewelry Mystery Maker will probably be surprised at the difference in style between those pieces and the ones shown here. In fact I was totally clueless for some time that these were from the same manufacturer.
It was pure coincidence that I happened to purchase the first example of this style which is the first necklace illustrated below. I normally gravitate toward more delicate or smaller scale jewelry but the combination of the soft- and graceful-appearing central bow plus a box chain (which I have always had a weakness for) inspired me to purchase that particular necklace. Some months afterward, the seller told me that another example of the identical necklace could be seen on Sheryl’s Art Deco Emporium website within the section devoted to Jakob Bengel jewelry, and that given its placement in that section it might be possible that it could be a Bengel design. I was even more pleased at this possible attribution, and of course had no inkling that the necklace was indeed the product of my Mystery Maker’s shop.
Single box chain in goldtone metal with fine black detailing in almost a “damascene” fashion. This is a thicker box chain than the ones used in the Part One styles. The bow also has fine black accents within its design as does the pointed drop. This necklace is 17” long overall, and the bow/drop is 1 1/2” top to bottom.
The identical necklace but done in silvertone metal. It is unclear from the photo whether this necklace has black detailing or not.
‘Watchband style’ flat chain identical to the brass one shown in a Part One choker except that it is silvertone instead of brass. I cannot tell whether the reddish tints on the drop and part of one bow end are traces of paint or merely a reflection from the person photographing it. The description claimed that this is a “German Art Deco” piece.
Updated 2015: The German attribution has now been debunked; unfortunately it has “gone viral” in the meanwhile. See Part Four of this series for evidence, and also the latter section of this major April 2015 update showing an American attribution from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well a necklace this maker produced for the 1934 World’s Fair in Chicago.
Open flat rectangular link chain with dark green and bright white accents. This is a “new” chain style. The bow is decorated more heavily than in the first necklace, and the faceted bead drop is a replacement for its original reverse-teardrop. The clasp may be a replacement as well.
A thick oval link chain in brass with black and dark green accents on it as well as the bow.
Snake chain and bow in plain brass.
The same snake chain made as a lariat necklace utilizing only the “tails” of the bow, and adding a pair of ornate finial drops. The bow element and finials are accented with white and medium-brown. Length is unknown but it may be somewhat longer than the 17” overall length of the other examples. To date this is the only example found using these finials but they are clearly original because their paint accents match that of the bow.
The heavier box chain with medium-green and black accents. Instead a bow, this pendant is an off-center dome or circular pyramid shape formed by asymmetrical (not concentric) circles rising upwards in step fashion in alternate rows of green paint and black-accented rectangles.
Single box chain necklace in silvertone, with the triangles/fringe element used as a pendant. This is the smaller (3mm) box chain because there are still the same five lengths of fringe beneath the triangle; if this was the larger box chain, five lengths would be too many to fit in that location. This necklace was suggested by its eBay seller as being a Bengel design and thus went for a ridiculously high and totally unjustified price.
This narrow flat chain is one that I had not seen before and at first I thought it was a new chain for them. However, on close examination is a single row of their ‘watchband’ flat chain. The two shades of blue used on this necklace match those used on one of the chevron necklaces:
Other Posts in This Series
Descriptive Index of all pieces shown within this blog
If you have information about this jewelry or photographs of any examples that do not yet appear in this blog series, I would be delighted to include them in a future post! Please use the Contact Form on the About the Chatsworth Lady page.
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