How can I tell a vintage necklace is real gold?

By the hallmark and by testing. We locate the mark, which on a chain usually sits on the clasp, a jump ring or a small applied plate, identify the standard, and test the metal at the bench where the mark is worn or absent. The result is recorded on the product page.

Can you shorten or lengthen an antique chain?

Often yes, and our goldsmith does it in-house. On some hand-made chains and on pieces where the links carry a hallmark, altering the length would damage the piece or remove its mark, and we will tell you when that is the case.

Are the pearls in your antique necklaces natural or cultured?

Both appear, and we only state which when it is established. Where the record or testing does not confirm the origin, the listing says not specified rather than making a claim.

Can I see the piece before I buy it?

Book a private video viewing. One of our specialists takes the exact piece into daylight on camera, turns it, shows you the hallmark and the back of the setting, and answers your questions live in your own time zone.

Do you ship to the US with duties included?

Yes. Shipping from the Netherlands to any US address is free, fully insured and tracked, and import duties and taxes are already included in the price you see. Nothing extra is collected on delivery.

The collection

Vintage & Antique Necklaces

Antique and vintage necklaces are where European goldsmithing shows off. This category covers Victorian book chains and collars, Art Nouveau plique-à-jour pendants on their original chains, Edwardian négligée and festoon necklaces in platinum and seed pearl, Art Deco sautoirs, heavy Retro links and mid-century signed work, alongside estate necklaces in 14K and 18K gold that are more recent but no less well made.

Edwardian platinum filigree pendant with milgrain detail on pale silk

A new collection is on its way

Our buyers are with European estates and auction houses right now, and the next pieces are being photographed and checked by our gemologist, a $GIA Graduate Gemologist (GG). Tell us what you are looking for and we will write to you the moment something right comes in.

Not sure? Find my piece

Looking for something you saw earlier? Browse our archive of recently sold vintage jewelry to see the kind of pieces that pass through our hands.

A chain tells you its age through its links and its clasp. Hand-made links are slightly uneven and soldered individually; barrel clasps, bolt rings and early lobster clasps each belong to particular decades. Because these pieces were worn, the clasp and the spring are usually the first things to fail, so every necklace is opened, tested and where needed repaired or restrung at our bench before it is listed.

We weigh each necklace, record its length in both inches and millimeters, identify the gold standard from the hallmark and test the metal where a mark is worn away. Stones and pearls are assessed by our gemologist, a GIA Graduate Gemologist (GG). Every necklace is one of a kind, ships free and fully insured to the US with import duties included, and can be seen live on a private video viewing before you decide.

Personal service

Nothing here yet is quite it?

Three ways to go further, all of them with a person on the other side.

Book a private video viewing

One of our jewelers takes any piece to daylight and shows you the hallmark, the setting and any wear, live and in your own time zone.

Book a viewing

Tell us what you are looking for

Our buyers are with European estates and auction houses every week. Describe the piece and we write to you the moment something right comes in.

We will source it

Have one made — Atelier

Our Atelier pieces are newly handcrafted in our own workshop, taking their cues from the vintage and antique jewelry we have spent decades restoring. New work with a vintage soul, never sold as antique.

Explore Atelier

Shop by era

Victorian, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco, Retro and mid-century. Each era filter draws on the era recorded for the piece from its marks and construction.

Shop by metal & stone

Yellow, white and rose gold, platinum and silver, with diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, opal, garnet and natural or cultured pearl. Lengths are listed in inches and millimeters so you can judge where the necklace will sit.

What makes an antique necklace special

Individually made links, hand-engraved clasps and settings built for the stone rather than around a standard mount. Many Victorian chains carry a hidden dog-clip or a slide, small details that a modern chain simply does not have.

Condition, clasps and restringing

Every clasp and link is checked and, where needed, serviced by our goldsmith. Pearls are restrung on silk with knots between them. Anything replaced or repaired is written into the condition report on the product page.

Buying from the Netherlands — duties included

Free insured shipping to the US with import duties already in the price, 30 days to return with free insured return shipping, and a private video viewing whenever you want to see the piece move before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

Question not answered here? Our specialists are happy to help.Contact us Book a private viewing

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Inspiration & service

About this category

Necklaces at Vintage Jewelry

Antique and vintage necklaces and chains from European estates, weighed, tested and restrung where needed.

About vintage necklaces

Chains carry their history in the links and the clasp. We weigh every necklace, record the length and the standard of the gold, and check each link and the clasp spring at the bench before a piece is listed.

How we authenticate vintage necklaces

Hallmarks on a chain sit on the clasp, on a jump ring or on a small applied plate. Our goldsmith finds and reads them, tests the metal where a mark is missing or worn, and our gemologist, a GIA Graduate Gemologist (GG), checks any stones. What we can establish goes in the dossier; what we cannot is left out.

Length and wear

Every necklace shows its length in millimeters and inches so you can judge where it will sit. Where a clasp was replaced or a link repaired, the condition section says so.

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By style

By era

Read before you buy

Also of interest

Guides and collections that pair with these pieces.