Owned by María A. Arús Caraballo

2025.1

MAKER: Unknown; unmarked. No maker's mark or metal stamp visible on the clasp in this view. Costume jewelry; manufacturer not identified. DATE / PERIOD: Not marked; mid-20th century (estimated). Aurora borealis bead coatings were introduced around 1955 (a Swarovski/Christian Dior development), so AB beads postdate the mid-1950s — a useful terminus: this necklace dates to circa mid-1950s or later, most likely later-1950s–1960s, hedged. ORIGIN: Not established from the object (no country or maker mark visible). Faceted-glass AB bead jewelry was produced widely (the Czech/Bohemian industry prominent).

MATERIALS: Faceted glass beads with an aurora borealis (iridescent metallic) surface coating; base-metal silver-tone box clasp set with colorless glass/paste rhinestones; strung on thread or cord (not visible). TECHNIQUES: Machine-cut/faceted glass beads with a vacuum-applied AB coating, strung in three graduated strands to a commercial rhinestone box clasp with multi-loop end-plates; standard costume-jewelry assembly.

Good

This is a triple-strand faceted-glass bead necklace with an aurora borealis finish and a rhinestone box clasp — mid-century costume jewelry of the same construction family as the amethyst/pink triple-strand necklace recorded earlier (and its matching earrings). The most useful dating evidence is the AB coating itself: aurora borealis beads were introduced in the mid-1950s (a Swarovski–Dior development), so this necklace cannot predate then and most plausibly dates to the later 1950s–1960s.