Vintage Gold Openwork Pendant
A vintage gold openwork pendant catches the light through delicate tracery and wirework, bringing Edwardian and Victorian grace to the neckline.
Vintage Gold Openwork Pendant
A vintage gold openwork pendant forms a delicate category of jewellery where metal is pierced, scrolled, or worked into intricate wire frameworks rather than solid plates. These pieces emerge predominantly from the Edwardian, Victorian, and Art Nouveau periods, showcasing the light, airy aesthetic favoured by jewellers of those eras.
Beyond the standard necklace pendants, buyers also encounter convertible brooch-pendant combinations and occasional French religious medals featuring pierced sunburst or framed designs. The unifying element across all these forms is the skeletal, lace-like metalwork that defines the openwork style.
How they were made
Goldsmiths constructed these pendants using nine-carat, fifteen-carat, or eighteen-carat gold, occasionally combining yellow and rose hues within a single piece or mounting silver over gold for stone settings. Platinum appears in select Edwardian examples, providing a bright, durable framework for diamonds.
Techniques relied heavily on hand-piercing sheet metal with a jeweler's saw, alongside wire-bending, collet-setting, and granulation. Stones such as seed pearls, amethysts, peridots, and garnets were carefully hand-set into bezels or hung as trembling drops from articulated joints.
Listings span from the 1890s through the 1960s, with Edwardian and Victorian examples forming the majority of the openwork inventory.
What varies in quality
Quality rests in the precision and complexity of the pierced metalwork, distinguishing crisp, hand-cut scrollwork from simpler stamped or cast imitations. Finer pieces display balanced symmetry, secure bezel settings, and thoughtful integration of stones that complement the open framework rather than crowding it.
The choice of materials also shapes the hierarchy, with higher-carat fifteen-carat or eighteen-carat gold and well-matched natural seed pearls or vibrant coloured gemstones sitting at the upper end. Wear and repair around delicate solder joints or hinges ultimately influence the integrity of the surviving openwork structure.
Murrle Bennett·S. Blanckensee & Son
The Vintage Gold Openwork Pendant Glossary
- Openwork
- Metalwork pierced or constructed with negative space to create a lace-like pattern. This technique characterises much of the Edwardian and Art Nouveau jewellery on offer.
- Lavalier
- A pendant style featuring a central drop suspended from a shorter necklace chain or connector. They often swing freely with the movement of the wearer.
- Seed pearl
- A very small, naturally formed or early cultured pearl used extensively for accenting floral and foliate motifs. These tiny pearls are typically half-drilled and glued or pegged onto gold pins.
- Collet
- A small collar or band of metal that holds a gemstone in place. It is rubbed over the edge of the stone to secure it.
- Foliate
- Ornamentation utilising leaf and plant motifs. This style dominates the naturalistic designs of the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Vintage Gold Openwork Pendant: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an openwork pendant?
An openwork pendant is a piece of jewellery where the metal background is cut away or built from wirework to create transparent patterns. This design approach lets light pass through the structure.
Craftsmen used this method extensively during the Edwardian and Art Nouveau eras to mimic lace and organic forms. The result is a lighter, more delicate appearance than solid gold stampings.
How do I date these pendants?
Dating relies on stylistic clues, gold carat marks, and stone combinations typical of specific eras. Edwardian pieces often feature platinum-topped gold, aquamarines, and light filigree.
Victorian examples tend to use heavier yellow or rose gold with amethysts, garnets, and seed pearls. Hallmark stamps, where present, offer precise registry years.
Can these pendants be worn daily?
Most antique openwork pendants can be worn regularly with sensible care given their delicate wire structure. Avoiding knocks and removing them before sleeping preserves the fine metalwork.
Seed pearls and softer stones like peridot require particular gentleness. Storing them in a dedicated box prevents tangling with other chains.