Castlecliff Vintage Austrian Crystal 'Northern Lights' Necklace

on Hold

NWS 8-1350

~ Sad to say, crystals like this are no longer being made. That's because each and every bead has been faceted, polished and coated by hand. Nowadays the cost of labor is high, so to buy crystals like this today would cost a fortune.

~ Have you ever held a crystal up to a window so that the sunlight hits it? You watch in wonder as the colors of the spectrum are reflected on the wall. That's what this necklace does. The crystals have been treated with an aurora borealis (iridescent) coating, and, depending on how the light hits them, the faceted beads throw colors of gold, violet, blue, silver, peach, and apple green.... In short, the colors of the entire spectrum of light are represented in each and every bead of this spectacular necklace.

~ This crystal necklace is made of 2 strands of crystals, in graduated lengths.

~ Each bead has been hand cut, and there are at least 5 different size/shaped beads in each strand. In the jewelry industry, the more varied the stones/beads a single item of jewelry has, the more expensive it was to produce, thus the higher the cost. This rule of thumb is true for brooches as well. Any crystals that have been faceted by hand are exceedingly rare today, almost non-existent.

~ This gorgeous necklace measures 15.75" long. It has a beaded extension chain and hook clasp, so it can be adjusted to a shorter length. Both ends of the necklace have a silver  oak leaf that is signed on the reverse "Castlecliff" (see last photo above). Castelcliff is one of the best, always using the highest quality crystals and workmansip.

c. 1950, in near mint condition

Price = $185.00on Hold

Who was Castlecliff?