Antique & Vintage Necklaces

Necklaces That Outlived Their Century

The necklaces on this page span the forms antique jewelry does best: the Victorian locket, worn against the heart with a portrait or a lock of hair inside; the Edwardian festoon, its swags of chain and fringe following the lace necklines of the years before the First World War; the Art Deco pendant, all geometry and colored glass or stone; and the heavy gold chain — Byzantine links, rope collars, graduated beads — built by Italian and Mexican workshops to be worn for decades. Every one of them was made by hand or finished by hand, and every one has already proved it can last a hundred years.

Royal Regency tests and researches each necklace before it is listed. Metals are verified, stones are identified, maker's marks and hallmarks are read where they exist, and the era in each title is stated the way the evidence supports it. Lengths are given in inches in every listing, because a necklace is bought to be worn at a particular place on the neck — a 15-inch festoon and a 22-inch chain are different jewels, not different sizes of the same one.

How to Choose

Start with length and weight. Short Edwardian festoons and collars frame the face and sit over a neckline; longer chains and lockets carry the eye down and layer well over modern clothing. Then look at the clasp: box clasps, barrel clasps and spring rings on period necklaces should close with a positive click, and our listings describe condition — including any repair or replacement — as found. A necklace that has survived a century in honest, wearable order is a better buy than a polished-up piece with its history buffed away.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know an antique necklace is genuine? Construction tells the story: hand-finished links, period clasps, hallmarks and maker's marks, and stones cut the way the era cut them. Every necklace here is tested and researched before listing, and each listing states the metal, the marks we found and the basis for its date.

What length are antique necklaces? Period lengths vary by style — Edwardian festoons often sit at 15 to 16 inches, Victorian lockets hang on longer chains, and mid-century Italian and Mexican chains commonly run 18 to 22 inches. The exact length is stated in every listing so you can measure against a necklace you already wear.

Can an antique necklace be worn every day? Chains, lockets and pendants in sound condition were made for daily wear and most take it well. Fringe festoons and pieces with foiled or closed-back stones ask for gentler treatment and should be kept dry. Each listing describes condition as found, so you can judge the piece you are considering.

What is a festoon necklace? A necklace built from swags — draped chains, drops and fringe suspended between points, echoing the garlands of classical decoration. The form defines Edwardian necklaces especially, often with a central pendant drop. Our Edwardian opal fringe festoon is a textbook example.

Do your necklaces come with their original chains? Where a pendant is listed on a chain, the listing says whether the chain is original to the piece or a later match. We describe pieces as they are rather than as we might wish them to be.

From Our Archive

Necklaces that have passed through Royal Regency and now sit in private collections — the record behind the necklaces listed above.

An Edwardian French paste bow necklace. Hand-set paste in a bow-knot festoon — the jewel French makers produced for the same necklines as their diamond work, and every bit as finely made. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

An Art Deco onyx necklace in platinum over silver. Black onyx against pale metal — the stark Deco contrast, worn tight to the throat. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

A sterling silver Albert chain necklace with vesta case, 1902. A gentleman's watch chain converted by time into a necklace — heavy curb links, a T-bar and a vesta case for matches, hallmarked at the turn of the century. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.

A sterling silver marcasite heart necklace. Faceted marcasites glittering like cut steel around a heart pendant — the romantic end of the marcasite trade. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.