Midcentury Chain with Carnelian Beads

Dating to circa 1950, this Midcentury necklace pairs polished dark red carnelian beads with slender 18KT gold bar links. Measuring 30 inches long, the necklace has a long, open silhouette that lets each carnelian bead stand on its own. 

Midcentury jewelry increasingly embraced clarity of form and a more restrained approach to ornament. Here, the open spaces between the carnelian beads are as important to the composition as the beads themselves. The result is a necklace that feels remarkably modern despite being more than seventy years old.