Lapis Lazuli, Pearl and Hematite Collar Necklace

Renaissance craftsmanship at its best: a stunning entirely hand-woven Renaissance style collar necklace with 7.5mm White pearls alternating with 6mm Lapis Lazuli beads and smaller White pearls, the whole necklace edged by faceted gold plated Hematite beads, on a gold plated toggle clasp.

When I first saw this tiny portrait of Madame de Châtillon, painted by Corneille de Lyon in about 1560-65 and now in the Indianapolis Museum of Art in the USA, I was fascinated by the intricacy of her collar necklace and decided to analyse this incredible 16th century workmanship properly before creating something similar that could be worn in the 21st century yet still be an eye-catching piece of jewellery.

So I used precious Lapis Lazuli rather than the black beads in the painting and mixed these with White pearls and Gold plated Hematite beads for a real lift.

A Renaissance treasure brought to life again

Please see About Gemstones: Lapis to learn about Lapis Lazuli.

Indianapolis Museum of Art