This is a striking 18 karat yellow gold hand-made link chain, with an Etruscan Revival clasp that featured turquoise and 14k gold beads. The muff chain necklace is impeccably textured, with every hand-formed link displaying a dotted and textured pattern and a lovely rich gold color. The necklace is light and delicate looking, but quite a solid gold piece. The chain is approximately 60 inches long and weighs approximately 40 grams. It is an original piece from the 1840s, although due to the different gold content of clasp and links, these might have been created separately. This antique piece is certainly a one of a kind high quality piece and visually gorgeous. Because it is such a long chain, the 60 inches give it a lot of versatility. It can be worn around the neck once, twice, or three times! The clasp has a total of 4 turquoise beads that are a natural deep green or blue color; the gemstones measure 2 mm in size. The clasp most likely dates to the 1880s with its swirling gold wire work. The clasp is a beautiful detail to add to this the rounded link muff chain. The 5mm links are individually made and hand-joined. The clasp is 3/4 of an inch in size and has a 585 or 14 karat gold mark. The links have been acid tested to 18 karat gold but these are not marked.
A muff chain such as this one is rare to find, and today makes a desirable antique for a collector. Muff chains are always long, as they were used to string through a muff of fur that kept a woman’s hands warm when she was outside, and would attach the fur to her coat when indoors. This hand-made gold chain is not to be missed! It is a perfect unisex item with much versatility. A high quality and rare item both pleasing to the touch and to the eye.
