Luscious Slices of Lapis & Gold Necklace

• These are mouth-watering, hand carved slices of beautiful, lustrous lapis, each textured and slightly different in the oval shape.  They are thick (some at 12mm, others at 5mm), and carved in a way that feels as if they are taken straight from the lapis rocks.  But their colour is a luscious, brilliant blue, with variations of light and dark, and flecks of pyrite (a natural element of lapis), glimmering through the stones.  I have used the term mouth-watering for a reason.  They make you want to touch them, like the precious stone they are, and devour them. The size varies, from 20mm long x 18mm wide, to 41mm long x 29mm wide.

 

• Antique, handmade, Afghan gold on silver beads contrast to the lapis in a rich and effective way.  These etched beads are made with a traditional technique, dating back to Alexander the Great, when the Greeks, (330 BC) invaded Afghanistan, bringing their craftsmen with them.  One of their skills was working in 18K gold, using sheet gold and crafting it onto hardened resin, and then decorating it.  The beads vary in size from 18mm to 9mm.

 

• I have used a handmade 14k gold vermeil toggle clasp.  Toggle clasps are easy to use and secure. My silver name label is attached at the clasp.

 

• The necklace comes, like all my necklaces, with its own colour coordinated silk brocaded pouch bag, made by a Shanghai tailor.

 

• The necklace measures 18 inches long (46 cm).

 

Price £600