SALE FOR NECKLACE ONLY~MATCHING EARRINGS IN LAST PHOTO ARE SOLD SEPARATELY(CAN BE FOUND UNDER ‘EARRINGS 2’)

NECKLACE PROVENANCE:

This was once owned by a very influential Santa Fe collector who brought me these Aldrich pieces & were kept safely in a safe until I was asked to sell it

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THE ALDRICH'S:

This husband & wife duo are known through out the southwest & are found in 'finer southwestern stores..One thing about the Aldrich's work,is that right away, you know whose work it is.. Their look is very identifiable & is a look that you might say that has their name attached. What this husband & wife duo do,is a technique that other artisans choose NOT to do, since it's time consuming, tedious & VERY technical. This type of art takes a steady hand, good eye sight & a whole LOT of patience to cut & shape this tiny of stones that then have to be precisely laid. Their work has always impressed me for the fact of how TINY they cut each stone!! I have no idea how they do it, but all I know is that do it well! The close up photos make everything look larger than what it is,but when you get these in hand,you'll see how small all these cuts are!

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THE NECKLACE:

Elegantly designed, while maintaining it's southwest edginess, the Aldrich's took their signature look up a notch, by incorporating their "micro mosaic inlay' art that they are so widely known for & added the beauty of sparkling gemstones & 14k gold. Completely made by hand, this is designed in a very dainty style, but speaks volumes when it comes to the quality of the materials used. From one end to the other, you'll be able to witness all their incredible hand work that is so artistically done..

Designed in a purple/blue theme that act as the dominant colors for the necklace, they then chose heavily saturated cuts of faceted Amethyst & Blue Topaz that brilliantly sparkle with the slightest of movement! They sit in a serrated sterling bezel & have a 14k gold floral like wire design that lays atop of sterling as the gold frames the gems at their base.

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CENTER DROP:

The real star of the show though, is the center drop where much of the decorative gold work & design happens. At the top is a tiny 3.5 mm trillion cut Amethyst, below that is a horizontally laid oval cut of Topaz & then below in an oval shape, is the art that lets you know whose work it is!

The main stone for the oval shape bottom is purple Sugilite that is used to micro mosaic inlay very fine,hand cut strips of "REAL" Australian Opal,turquoise, orange Spiny Oyster.These cuts are super fine & ever since I came across their work years ago, I've often wondered "How in the heck do they cut stones this small???" I do know that unless you do or have done this type of work,is probably the only time you can REALLY appreciate what they do!

Like the matching earrings,the topaz is set with a serrated sterling bezel & has a ornate 14K bezel that covers most of the sterling. The Sugilite oval piece also has a serrated sterling bezel,while the smaller trillion cut amethyst is set with a non-serrated 14K bezel.All the finely cut 'teeth' are in perfect condition!

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CHAIN:

The sterling hand made chain is made in a figure 8 style with a 14K wrap around the center.The toggle closure is designed with a 925 'heart' & has 14K beading around the perimeter.The toggle itself is made like a 'twig' with fine gold wiring going around the toggle stem & then has tiny cuts of round amethyst cabochons that are set in a gold bezel on each end. (See photos 8 & 9)

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PLEASE READ!

**Because this was originally sold as a set, the Aldrich's only put the 14K stamp on the matching earrings,so the 14K stamp is not on the necklace.(See back of earrings in last photo) When things aren't hallmarked, I still test for metal purity & this does test positive for 14K gold.

I do want to mention that it had to be pointed out to me,that there is a tiny tiny little chip in the opal,which is so small,I didn't even notice this even after photographing it! It is so small it's hard to see it,unless it's pointed out or seen through a jeweler's loupe..(The price is lowered because of this.)