Antique Art Déco Amber Necklace, c. 1930

The Greeks explained the origin of amber as follows: In ancient mythology, the Heliades (ancient Greek Ἡλιάδες "daughters of the sun") are the daughters of Helios and sisters of Phaeton, to whom they harnessed the chariot of the sun without their father's permission. After his tragic crash, they were turned into poplars as punishment or out of pity, as they wept inconsolably over their brother's death. The amber was created from their tears. With this fanciful explanation, the Greeks came surprisingly close to the truth, because amber is a fossilized tree resin. An amber necklace is particularly beautiful when the natural material has taken on a color over time that cannot be produced artificially. The 41 olives in this necklace have taken on an inimitably warm color reminiscent of caramel. Each of the olives has an individual and very unique structure and coloring that testify to their authenticity. Today, as then, the necklace is a wonderful piece of jewellery made from the "gold of the Baltic Sea". The clear, geometric design language is typical of the 1930s.

Estimate:$1,336.32

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