Featured German? amber pendant with double rope chain

Hi folks,

I have been missing for a while as I could not get anything worth discussing. Recently I found something that looks promising - a teardrop faceted amber pendant on a double rope chain, gold colour, there is a mark A.m.D. on the bail of the pendant and two marks on the chain spring ring clasp which I cannot discern. AI suggests that it is German make and is gold filled, both the bail and the chain. Have not tested the amber yet as my UV devices are all without batteries (not used for ages...). But it looks like real deal.

Would like to hear your thoughts on it, especially about the origin and the age - is it pre-war or post war? @Any Jewelry ? @nastina.nastea ?

Thank you all in advance!

 

Hi Iva.
Yes, it is German, and early 20th century. Lovely soft facets, very nicely made

That is short for Amerikaner Doublé, an older type of gold plating technique.
Amerikaner means American, but the technique was developed in Austria. However, it was widely used in the US during and just after the Civil War of the 1860s, due to a shortage of gold. Because the US were the main users of the technique, it came to be known in Germany as American.

 

Hi
Truly speaking, don't know anything about it, but I think @Any Jewelry said it all. I can only add that colour of amber is beautiful!

 

Sweet an' Fine...Thanks!

 

Thank you so much, Any! Helpful and knowledgeable, as usual I was wondering why Amerikaner but now you make it clear. Is it advisable to clean it, will it ruin the layer of gold? It is not particularly dirty, rather well preserved and shiny, especially in view of its age, but I want to wear it and want it to be as clean as possible.

And I am glad that you identified it as made before WWII, I was hoping but was not sure. Thanks!

Thank you, nastier.nastea! Yes, beautiful cognac colour, in reality is much better than shown on my poor photo (I am very bad at making photos...) I know you are an expert in amber, especially Soviet made, and your opinion really matters for me. But yes, Any is a treasure for this community, so broad and deep knowledge, admirations!

Here it became difficult to find nice pieces of jewerly, and even the usual "garbage" is so expensive! This was a rare chance for me that the seller did not know what he was selling, so I managed to get it at a reasonable price.

 

I think if you clean it gently with a silver polishing cloth, it should come out fine and stay nice for a long time. The plating looks in very good condition.
After you've used the polishing cloth, rinse the pendant in water to get rid of the chemicals. Amber doesn't like chemical stuff like polish.

It could even be just before WWI. And the eastern part of the German coast is on the Baltic, so it is Baltic amber.

Congratulations! You don't see these antique faceted teardrop pendants very often, and it is an elegant beauty.

 

Thank you so much, Any, I will clean it the way advise me.

Oh, even WWI era! What a pleasant surprise, hurray! Yes, of course, I often forget that "Baltic" is also applicable to amber from Germany and Poland, not only USSR/Russia.

Thank you!
Indeed, I have never before come across such thing - natural Baltic amber is quite common here but it is almost 100 % of Soviet origin as it was very common for people to travel to USSR and bring amber jewelry as presents. I have made a small collection of Soviet amber, but this one is definitely more elegant and obviously of much better quality. So I will clean it as suggested and will wear with utmost pleasure.

Thanks again to all who looked and commented, and especially to Any Jewelry

One more question - Any, do you think it is applicable to call this piece "Art Deco" style?

 

It is older than Art Deco. Both the style and the period are Jugendstil, the German Art Nouveau style that formally lasted from 1890 until 1914, but continued a little longer.

 

Oh, even better! Yes, it's logical given the time-period (pre-WWI).

But this is very interesting for me - I am not an expert in different artistic styles, but I have been interested in the origins (Belgian) of Art Nouveau style in architecture - Horta and Hankar, and Saintenoy, etc.. Recently I made a tour along Brussels to spot the existing preserved buildings and I am really impressed! Very beautiful, it is a shame that many of them were destroyed during the so called "Brusselization".

In my understanding, the Art Nouveau style is quite ornate and involves natural forms like leaves, flowers, stars/solar forms, etc. And this pendant is quite simple in its form (closer to my personal taste, although I admit the beauty of Art Nouveau), only the bail is somewhat ornated. I do not question your style identification, by no means! I am just curious how come that it is Art Nouveau. Maybe the German/Austrian version differs from the Belgian/French one. I will be very grateful to hear your thoughts on this, thank you in advance!

 

Oh, beautiful. I want to live in an Horta house, 100% perfect Art Nouveau by the inventors of the whiplash style.

Yes, Jugendstil is different from Art Nouveau, although it is called the German Art Nouveau.
Around 1890 artists wanted to move away from the established art forms. Also, the industrial revolution had made it possible to apply their art to everyday objects. They founded New Art, in French Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau has many regional styles which reflect the different temperaments.

Art Nouveau as we know it was born in France, but got its purest style in Belgium, with those elegant whiplash motifs you saw in the Horta houses.
Jugendstil was born in Germany, and spread to Vienna and Prague. It has very German linear motifs with stark lines, although floral motifs are also found, but in a much more controlled way than in the Belgian Art Nouveau.
Jugendstil was named after a new design magazine called "die Jugend", 'the youth', meaning the new art forms that evolved.
The Viennese version of Jugendstil was called Secession, also worth looking into.

And if you like a more exotic version of Art Nouveau, you can check out the Dutch 'Nieuwe Kunst', which was influenced by Javanese designs, like batik motifs and wayang puppets. Unfortunately it has lost its Dutch name over the years, for a few decades it was called Jugendstil, and now it is called Art Nouveau. A pity, because it is a distinct style.

 

Examples of Jugendstil, both from the artist's colony "Mathildenhöhe" in Darmstadt, Germany:

 

And for a bit of spice in Art Nouveau.

The archetypal Dutch Nieuwe Kunst advertisement for salad oil by Dutch-Indonesian Jan Toorop, with people inspired by Wayang puppets:



And beautiful Gouda ceramics, with outlined swirls and stippling motifs inspired by batik fabrics:

 

I could listen to you give a seminar ! ......

 

Stunning beauty, very much to my taste!

The first Dutch Art Nouveau example does look exotic to me, I am very far from the Eastern cultures, but I can see their influence on the image.

The Gauda ceramics are just lovely; I wouldn't mind having them at home. I guess they are very expensive, though.

Absolutely! Any is like the Horn of Plenty but full of knowledge instead of material things.

B.t.w. I cleaned the pendant and the chain. Both became gorgeous. The chain is bright and shiny, under magnifying glass it does not show any signs of wear or of visible undercoat material. I started pondering if the miniature mark on the clasp is of low-carat gold, as it looks to me as something like 333 .... I should get it tested.

 

Thank you for kind words, but, for sure, I'm not an expert in any field (especially not in amber) the only thing I'm good for is that I can read and research Russian hallmarks and inscriptions, but I'm happy to help when I can

 

I would be very happy living with that dining room set!

.333 is 8 karat gold, very German or similar. I think the Czechs used it too, but I know the Germans did. It would definitely tarnish.

 

Yes, a lot of older German gold is .333.
The Bohemians even had .250 gold specifically for garnet pieces. It was called 'Granatengold' or 'Viertelgold', 'garnet gold' and 'quarter gold'.

 

I remembered that, but couldn't remember if it was 8k or even lower.

 

Oh, so would I! With utmost pleasure! Jugendstil is much more to my taste than the classical French/Belgian Art Nouveau.

Yes, there was some tarnish on the chain and also on the bail of the pendant (which is gold plated), which was removed with the cleaning.

Thanks, Any! I did not know that there were such low-grade gold standards in Germany and Bohemia. I am used to 575/573 as the lowest.

About the cleaning - I followed your instructions closely, and at the end washed both pieces with mild soup and warm water. Now it is completely ready to wear.