antonio pineda necklace

[zkimmey]

Okay,let me try this again. I have an older (silver by Tono)Antonio Pineda necklace here, but it is marked with "ZZ". Isn't ZZ for bracelets? There are 7 links , then the rest is strung with silver beads. Do you think it could be a bracelet that was made into a necklace? Would this be detrimental to the piece? Thanks

[admin]

You are asking for opinions as to whether a piece has been altered without showing us what may have been changed. Any opinion given, with the images supplied, would be meaningless.

Regards, Tom

[zkimmey]

Well I guess I just wanted clarification as to if "ZZ" was only for Antonio's bracelets, ( I think necklaces should be "YY"? ) and if anyone has ever seen articles besides braclets stamped with "ZZ". I will post a picture of the entire necklace in a few days. Thanks

[admin]

Hi,
We know that Antonio Pineda eventually finalized an inhouse code that includes a letter prefix indicating type of jewelry, but we don't know the evolution of his code or when it arrived at its final form. At the time he made this piece, he hadn't even arrived at the final form of his maker's mark, so I wouldn't put that much faith in the coding. I'm of the opinion that the piece itself will tell us more than the marks.
Regards, Tom

[JLDoggett]

When judging something like this I always ask what would it have looked like as a different piece. The links appear to be angled so that if the amethysts were on opposing sides (flipping every other link) then it would form a line bracelet with the links strung using 2 chains (your picture does not show how it is assembled). However 7 links would be much too short to encircle the wrist (maybe they removed the links that encompassed the clasp)... So, it could have been a bracelet that broke, was taken to a jeweler who restrung it with new beads to make a necklace. How does the arch of the links appear when worn? Does it flow around the neck or form an un-natural U where the beads transition with the links? How are the amethysts held in place? There is a lot to evaluate when decyphering something that seems not quite right.

[zkimmey]

Thank you Tom and JLDoggett for your replies. Here are more photos as promised. The links are strung on a thin braided metal string, and it has a hook closure, not a box clasp. Looks like the amethsyt are held in place with a bar. Thanks again.

[JLDoggett]

First, thank you for the additional pictures, they say a lot about the piece.

The bars holding the amethyst beads in place are not what I would expect to see. They are poorly done, the ends should fill the opening completely and blend with the finish on the rest of the item. I doubt they are origional. The necklace does not hand well, it appears to be a 16 inch length yet the curve looks a little narrow to flow smoothly from the chain through the center and back again.

One thing that worries me about this as a bracelet, the holes do not line up well to fit my idea of the bracelet where the links alternate (so that the amethysts are on alternating sides). While close to being balanced, they are (measured from the picture) just enough off, that the links would line-up poorly on the snake chain. It is possible that there was a small spacer bead inserted between the narrow ends of the links when strung to ofset the angle of the bevel.

Some research on the piece would be your best proof of the maker's origional intent.

[admin]

Hi,
It is a necklace and that is the original beading. I had it back in the 90's and wanted to see the entire piece to make sure it was the same design. To follow up, I just spoke with a collector who also has the identical necklace, theirs is marked with the later Crown mark and coded YY, so it would seem that Antonio's coding did evolve over time.
As to the rods holding the amethysts, they are soft soldered in place and the base metal will have discolored heavily over time. The fact that they are not perfect fills is typical of the genre. Although Antonio took more care in the technical aspects of his craft than most of his contemporaries, technical perfection was rarely achieved.

Regards, Tom

[zkimmey]

Thanks Tom, Thank you for taking the time to look at my piece and calling a fellow collector about it. Did the necklace you previously owned have a hook closure also? what about your collector friend's??
Even though I had questions concerning possible alterations, I still bought it because I felt it was a great piece just as is. It is beautiful and looks and feels wonderful on. Thanks!