Large Carved Silver-Tipped MOP Star Pendant; Odd Bale

This is 2 3/4" tall, 3 1/8" wide; it weighs ~13 grams. The only mark is 925 on the oval bale-base.The tips are tooled on their wide end, an' have beaded points.
Its center of gravity is such that when suspended by the bale with resting against a back-support, it slopes at ~20 degrees; worn on a neck chain, against a chest, it would lay flat.
I've had it for decades, but that's all I can say...have any of you seen its like? Thanks for lookin'!

 

Honestly, no. I'm wondering if it was meant to be a pendant or a Christmas ornament. It's big enough. The mother of pearl is synthetic, perfect for carving and making into jewelry. The Israelis do it all of the time. The star has no markings other than 925, so who knows.

 

Huh? What tells you that, Evelyn?

 

That'd be a heck of a Christmas ornament Whit-even a modestly-sized tree topper.
'In the 1920's early plastic-based imitation mother-of-pearl materials and synthetic pearl essences emerged to replace natural shell in buttons and decorations.'
If an antique Christmas that could be a very good thing.
PS-Watch what true 1950's and before Halloween start going for on eBay !
PSS- Beware many,many repops.

 

That is a very odd and awkward bale. Quick search of eBay finds one like yours with a pin-back, and a couple of others with different pins and added granulation, one with matching earrings (item numbers at top of images). See no reason to believe yours or the others are anything but genuine mother of pearl, personally would doubt age greater than fairly late in the 20th century, Israel a possibility, but might also suggest Asian origin. I have a large, fairly recent book on mother of pearl, will dig it out when I'm fully awake...

~Cheryl

 

Sorry, only thing close found in the book is a plain carving, circa 1980-90. From Meyer's 'Mother of Pearl Antiques and Collectibles' (2013):





~Cheryl

 

I agree that this one would have been a brooch too. The long tube suggests a pinback, and the awkward loop is clearly improvised.

Ditto, it looks like genuine mother-of-pearl, and if it is Palestinian-Israeli made, it is definitely MOP.
The Palestinians of Bethlehem have been carving MOP souvenirs from Red Sea shells ever since Medieval times, when they were instructed by Franciscan friars. The star of Bethlehem was a favourite, not only because the Palestinian carvers were Christians, but also for the pilgrim trade.
More recently they have started to carve from MOP from other localities, like Australia, but never from synthetic MOP.

I can't say for sure this star is Palestinian made, but Bethlehem MOP stars do often have five points.
But although Palestinian MOP jewellery is often set in silver, this type of setting is not something I've seen before. Another Asian origin, as Cheryl suggested, is possible. Indonesia and the Philippines are also known for MOP carving.

 

An antique Palestinian carving of a nativity scene, made for the pilgrim trade and engraved with 'Bethlehem'. The second photo, of the back, shows that it was carved from a genuine shell. Recent Bethlehem carvings are as well.


https://www.josephcohenantiques.com...ize-bethlehem-the-holy-land-late-19th-century

 

That first antique Nativity scene's stunning.

 

It is the same piece of MOP, front and back. The front has the nativity scene, and I posted the back to show it was carved from real shell.

 

Wow...My lady insists on a tree every year, which she elaborately dresses in a variety of old baubles. I think this will please her!

Yes! I hadn't considered that as a modification.
Very good, AJ!

Thank you all for the education...I love it!

 

Eyeballs and experience. It's also flat on the back. Natural shell pieces that size almost never are. The synthetic shell is more stable and easier to carve. I've seen a pile of it used, including in a big Israeli pendant of my own, and all I can really say is "I know it when I see it."

 

Hmm...No, 'tain't...it's gently curved along the plane of the two side tips. My pics weren't adequate to show that subtle but telling detail.

 

It could be real shell then, and likely is. The synthetic is flat.