1810s Berlin Iron Necklace
Berlin Iron necklace dating from the 1820s. The pendant features openworked gothic motifs - quatrefoil, little spires, oak leaves - around a sunflower at the centre. It's suspended at either side, hanging from a wide woven, almost lace-like chain with tubular profile that, as with much of the period goldwork, was designed to present impressive presence whilst remaining light and floaty. It fastens with a simple toggle clasp.
Berlin Iron is a kind of black lacquer over cast iron that originated in Prussia in the 1790s. 1810 saw the death of Queen Louise of Prussia at the age of 34, she was a young and beautiful and much loved queen known for taking a stand against Napoleon (who was on the rampage around Europe), and Berlin Iron becomes commemorative of her. It became hugely popular in Prussia as an expression of Prussian patriotism, and this popularity was capitalised upon by the Prussian Treasury's I Gave Gold For Iron campaign, used in 1813 to encourage women to donate their gold to fund the war effort. Gold jewellery was exchanged for Berlin Iron jewellery, and wearing the latter became the ultimate display of patriotism.
Early Berlin Iron pieces were big and chunky, following the contemporary trends of neoclassicism, but by the 1810s fashions began to change and they took on a more delicate, naturalistic flavour incorporating flowers and foliate motifs. By the 1820s, however, the medium really came into its own by incorporating elements from the gothic revival that mimicked gothic architecture and its symbolism.
Era: Georgian, circa 1825
Length: 16 inches
Central pendant size: 2.3cm by 3.2cm
Marks: None, tested as Berlin Iron
Condition: Great antique condition
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Gemstones are tested by an accredited gemmologist (Cert GA, Gemmological Association of Great Britain).
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[Last updated: September 15th, 2025]
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Condition
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