Necklace and Cross Pendant

Details

Descriptive Terms

necklaces
pendants (jewelry)
carnelian
gold (metal)
topaz (mineral)
pearl (animal material)
Necklace

Label

What happened to Sally's pearls? At the turn of the nineteenth century, when Mrs. Otis owned this set, Boston jewelers sold pendants like this one with interchangeable strands of matching beads and pearls. Nearly a century after Sally owned it, an Otis descendant had the necklace restrung with a set of matching carnelian beads.
Barrel clasps like the one on Sally's necklace were made from the 1890s to the early 1900s, which helps us determine when the necklace was altered.

Associated Building

Associated With Harrison Gray Otis House, First House (Boston, Mass.),

Additional Identification Number

1381

Maker

Unknown

Location of Origin

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, New England

Dimensions

1 3/4 x 1 x 1/4 (HxWxD) (inches)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Platt Hacker

Accession Number

1967.58

Exhibition Notes

"Cherished Possessions: A New England Legacy," Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, July 2003 to October 2005. "Hidden Treasures from Elegant Eras," Historic Jewelry from the Collections of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities presented by Shreve, Crump & Low, September 15 - November 30, 1995. "Jewelry at Historic New England," Online exhibit presented by Historic New England launched September 30, 2007 at www.historicnewengland.org/jewelryhistory/.

Reference Notes

Pictured in Carlisle, Nancy, "Cherished Possessions: A New England Legacy," (2003): 206-208; Fales, "Jewelry in America: 1600-1900," (1995): Color Plate 67, 124.

Places

Probably Massachusetts (United States)
Probably Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)

Related Items

Title Miniature of Sally Foster Otis Accession Number 1947.783