Early Berlin Iron Necklace
An early and incredibly rare Berlin Iron necklace dating from the turn of the 19th century, circa 1790 to 1810. It comprises five neoclassical cameo plaques - the subjects in black lacquered iron set over mirror-polished steel backgrounds - mounted in high-carat gold and connected with lengths of iron mesh. The plaques depict some rather big hitters (clockwise from top right): Julius Caesar, Bacchus-Dionysus, Jupiter & Ganymede, Alexander the Great, and Pericles.
Berlin Iron pieces that use gold are especially rare:
"Pieces which make use of gold are rare at this or any other period [1789 to 1804], and are particularly valuable, not only because the gold and black or the iron contrast very strikingly, but because gold would only have been used on finely-cast examples. Also possibly early are those rather more common designs which the chief feature is an iron low-relief classical head in profile (often Antinous, Pericles, or Alexander) laid on a ground of polished steel, and framed with whorls or tendrils of milled iron wire. These heads are sometimes used six to a bracelet, but are more often alternated with ovals containing formal flowers, made up out of the same wire. The false cameos may sometimes be gradated to give variety and the bracelets are clasped in the usual way with a flange and socket." - 'Cut-Steel and Berlin Iron Jewellery', pp. 27-28, Anne Clifford (1971)
While hard to date precisely, it's definitely an early example of Berlin Iron: that the cameos are set in gold is very unusual, and the use of "Silesian" style meshwork suggests that it's very early, quite possibly pre-dating the opening of the Royal Berlin Foundry in 1804. Technically a necklet, rather than a necklace, it has no clasp but fastens at the back with ribbon, giving the wearer some flexibility on the wearable length.
Era: Georgian, circa 1790-1810
Length: 16 inches (plus ribbon to fasten)
Width: 3.1cm
Marks: None, tested as Berlin Iron and 14/15ct gold
Condition: Great antique condition; light wear consistent with age. No rust to the iron or polished steel.
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This includes a valuation for insurance purposes, item specifics, date, and origins (where applicable).
Gemstones are tested by an accredited gemmologist (Cert GA, Gemmological Association of Great Britain).
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[Last updated: 28th February 2026]
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Condition
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