Art Nouveau Silver Pendant
An art nouveau silver pendant brings flowing botanical lines, coloured enamel and hand-wrought silver into a wearable miniature artwork.
Art Nouveau Silver Pendant
When you search for an art nouveau silver pendant, you find small hanging ornaments for the neck created mostly around the turn of the twentieth century. The designs draw heavily from the natural world, showing floral motifs, insect forms, and romantic subjects executed in sterling or standard silver.
The pieces on this page span the late nineteenth century through to the early decades of the twentieth century, with strong representation from the Arts and Crafts movement as well as continental Jugendstil and Skonvirke styles. Alongside pendants, you will encounter related pendant necklaces, lockets, and occasionally matching parures.
The typical example pairs silver work with vitreous enamel and stones such as moonstone, amethyst, opal, or pearl. Makers integrated these elements to create fluid, asymmetrical compositions that embody the organic ethos of the period.
How they were made
Silversmiths shaped metal frames by hand, often incorporating filigree, granulation, and silver gilt finishes to add texture and depth behind the stones. Many workshops employed plique-a-jour enamel, a technique that leaves translucent enamel without a backing so light shines through the colour like stained glass.
Gems and pearls were secured using bezels or delicate claw settings, frequently featuring dangling drops beneath the main body of the pendant. Artisans combined turquoise, amethyst, moonstone, and chalcedony with hard-fired enamels including guilloche, landscape, and cloisonne varieties.
Art Nouveau Silver Pendant Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for art nouveau silver pendant among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
The listings span the late nineteenth century through to the nineteen fifties, uniting silver, enamel, moonstone, amethyst, and pearl in diverse botanical and geometric forms.
What varies in quality
Quality rests on the skill of the design and the execution of the enamelling and metalwork. Pieces conceived by prominent designers and produced by established workshops exhibit superior linework and more ambitious use of translucent plique-a-jour enamel.
The choice and matching of stones also define the tier of the piece, with well-matched moonstones, opals, or old-cut diamonds elevating the work. Finer examples retain their original chains and show crisp, unpolished hand-craftsmanship in every detail of the silver.
Marius Hammer·Archibald Knox·Liberty and Co·Murrle Bennett·Mary Thew·Wilhelm Fuhner·WH Haseler·Dorrie Nossiter·John Paul Cooper·Levinger and Bissinger·Meyle and Mayer·Heinrich Levinger·Charles Horner·Martin Mayer·Theodor Fahrner·Eduard Loss·Georg Jensen
The Art Nouveau Silver Pendant Glossary
- Plique-a-jour
- An enamelling technique where the enamel is fired in open cells, creating a stained-glass effect that allows light to pass straight through. This method requires considerable skill to avoid cracking the delicate enamel film.
- Jugendstil
- The continental European manifestation of the Art Nouveau movement, characterised by dynamic, undulating lines inspired by natural growth. It flourished in Germany and neighbouring countries around nineteen hundred.
- Silver gilt
- Silver that has been coated with a thin layer of gold on its surface, often used by makers to impart a warm, rich tone that complements coloured enamels and stones.
- Parure
- A matching set of jewellery designed to be worn together, which in these listings includes combinations of necklaces, earrings, rings, and brooches.
- Guilloche
- A decorative technique in which a precise, intricate pattern is mechanically engraved into a metal surface beneath a translucent layer of enamel.
Art Nouveau Silver Pendant: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I wear a delicate enamel pendant safely?
Suspend the piece from a suitable silver chain that matches its weight and period, and store it flat in a lined box when not being worn. Avoid exposing enamel and softer stones like pearls or opals to harsh chemicals, perfumes, or ultrasonic cleaning.
Take care to put the pendant on after applying cosmetics and hairsprays to protect the vitreous surfaces from dulling. Regular gentle wiping with a soft dry cloth will maintain the lustre of both the silver and the stones.
How can I tell Art Nouveau from Arts and Crafts pieces?
Art Nouveau designs lean towards asymmetrical, whiplash curves and organic motifs inspired by stems, flowers, and insects. Arts and Crafts pieces tend to emphasise honest hand-craftsmanship, structured geometric or simple botanical forms, and visible hammering on the silver.
Many workshops produced items that bridged both movements, combining flowing naturalistic outlines with traditional hand-wrought construction. Examining the hallmarks, maker marks, and overall aesthetic helps clarify the specific design lineage.
What is plique-a-jour enamel?
Plique-a-jour is a demanding enamelling method where glass powder is fired within an open wire framework without a solid backing plate. This produces translucent windows of colour that glow when the pendant is held up to the light.
Because there is no metal support at the back, the artisan must manage surface tension and firing temperatures precisely to prevent the enamel from sagging or shattering. It is commonly found in floral and butterfly motifs on fine period pendants.
Are these pendants supplied with their original chains?
Some pendants retain their original matching chains or pearl necklaces, while others are paired with period-appropriate replacements. Listings usually specify whether a chain is original to the pendant or added later.
When a piece includes its original chain or necklace strand, it preserves the intended drop length and design harmony created by the maker. Collectors often value pieces that remain complete with their original mounting components.