Made for me

Here's a picture taken very recently, showing my four favourite items of neckwear. Can you spot the latest addition?

The oldest item is the coiled, thick, snake-like silver necklace in the centre (2008). Next oldest are the labradorite pendant on a thinner snake-like chain (right, 2010) and the cultured saltwater Akoya pearl necklace (left, also 2010). The latest acquisition is the pearl pendant in the middle, a cross of four pearls on another, shorter snake-like chain. It's my birthday present for this year. My actual 68th birthday is on the 6th July, but my four local girlfriends, who together met over half the cost, presented it to me at a Birthday Lunch on 2nd July. (More on that lunch in the next post)

If you think the new pearl pendant (middle) is a very good match with the pearls on the pearl necklace (left), there's no mystery. They come from that necklace. I had it shortened by about an inch last March, just before the coronavirus lockdown came into force. It now has 65 pearls, instead of the original 69. When bought in 2010 it looked like this:

Shortening it hasn't altered its appearance significantly, but it now hangs a bit higher, and the bottom part doesn't disappear below the neckline of the tops and dresses I wear nowadays. (It's a sad fact of life that in older years one tends to show less chest - partly to conceal wrinkles, partly for warmth!)

I discussed what might be done with the four 'spare' pearls with Rebecca at Pruden & Smith, the Ditchling jewellers. The final sketch was this:

As you can see, the pearls (which already had a hole drilled through them of course, for the string to pass through in the original necklace) would now be mounted on a cross of silver wire. I wondered how the crossover of the two wires would be disguised, but I trusted Rebecca to devise an elegant way of doing it. The four pearls would be attached to a silver hoop, through which the chain would go. Total cost: £150. I paid up front, and waited for the result. Rebecca knew that it must be ready in time for my birthday. I resisted the temptation to phone her during the lockdown, and did so only at the end of June, discovering that it was indeed almost ready for a socially-distanced inspection, missing only the silver chain, which was awaited from another source and hadn't yet arrived. But I got a call from Rebecca on 29th June, inviting me to come and see my pendant (with chain) whenever I wished. I was there next day. I tried the pearl pendant on. It had turned out very well indeed. I was delighted, and said so.

Back home, I took some photos before surrendering the pendant to Jackie, so that she could gift-wrap it for presentation at the Lunch. Here are four of those shots:

To my mind, the cluster of pearls resembled a little flower - or possibly a star. I thought it looked very attractive, and would divert attention from my sun-ravaged chest and throat:

I took it off with a deep sigh, and gave it to Jackie without delay. (But only two days later, it was mine to put on again!)

Was I robbed, paying £150? Not for a specially-made bespoke piece, surely. It's unique to me, after all. Nevertheless, if the silver chain cost (say) £30, then I was paying £120 for Rebecca's time and skill. But I don't expect she could have knocked this up in a mere half an hour. Pearls are actually quite delicate - easily marked, discoloured or crushed - and I fancy there would be some fiddly soldering to do. 

The wire-crossover, by the way, was concealed with a small globe of silver. 

The pendant looks exactly the same on both sides, except that one of the pearls has a slight natural unevenness, which isn't obvious, but it's just enough to distinguish one side of the pendant from the other. 

As for wearing, it's very light, pearls and chain weighing only 8g. This is much less than the weight of most of my other neckwear items. So it's not only a pretty little piece, it's easy to wear it right through the day and the evening. I think pendants look best with V-shaped necklines. These shots were taken the day after the Lunch, and demonstrate what I mean:

Will this birthday gift become my most-worn neckwear? No, I don't think so. The thick silver snake necklace has a special place in my heart, and I won't abandon it. Besides, for everyday rough-and-tumble, that thick silver necklace is easily the most robust choice. But I can certainly see myself wearing this new pendant oftener than the labradorite one, mainly because the chain is shorter and it can be worn with a wider range of necklines. The original pearl necklace, still elegant and rather special in its own right, remains my go-to neckwear for any posh occasion, although I'm now inclined to give it an airing in ordinary circumstances as well. Pearls are in. 

Next: the Birthday Lunch at my house.