ANTIQUE • Victorian 14k Yellow Gold Ornate Book Chain Collar Necklace

Crafted from 14k uber-vibrant yellow gold (XRF tested between 14k-16k see below for more details), this antique Victorian Book Chain Collar necklace is modeled with flower/clover components affixed to the top of each gorgeous raised link. The color of this gold, with a patina only a century of time can create, is absolutely phenomenal. It looks as if sunshine radiates from within and shines bright even in the gloomiest of light. Finished with an oversized rosy yellow gold floating spring ring clasp that measures 15.5mm in diameter, hallmarked “14” and is a bit more rosy in color than the chain but still looks utterly fabulous. The links each measure 17.5mm with a 9mm beveled ring in between. A few of the raised links have been pushed down but I’d say overall this is in amazing condition for its age. The length of the chain is 19” and has a total weight of 31.4 grams.

Victorian chains like these (especially in this condition) are becoming almost impossible to find and the few I’ve seen out there right now are priced well above what I’m asking for this beauty. I encourage you to take a look at some comparison pieces and you’ll find that these chains are few and far between.

Update: I recently came across another in this same design that was clearly gold-filled so I decided to have this XRF tested again more thoroughly. This time we tested every component of each link and came back with some interesting (but puzzling) results. A few areas came back as “gold-plate possible” so I decided to open up a link and test the inside. This should have given me a reading for any base metal but still came back between 14-16k with gold plate possible. My gold tester looked at under the microscope and was just as confused due to there being no signs of plating. It is possible the links have a non-gold core for stability purposes but show no signs we could find OR has a higher karat wash with lower underneath and the machine is reading that as possible plating. The only way to get an absolute accurate reading would be to remove an entire link, melt it down and test it again which I’m not willing to do and would take away from the length. My gold tester offered to buy it from me as 12k solid gold to account for any non-gold alloy it may contain but I have no interest in melting this beautiful piece so I have dropped the price a bit and selling it as somewhat of a mystery. I have been specializing in antique Book Chains for more than a decade now and when they are gold-filled always show significant signs of plating wear. However, I am trying to be fully transparent and would never want to mislead anyone. Please message me with any questions and thanks so much for looking at this stunning Victorian chain!!!