The beautifully designed collar necklace and door-knocker style earrings are signed Monet. I purchased them online believing from the description that the semi-circle links were stones. However, when I received the set, I decided they were NOT natural stones but were “resin” simulating the look of natural stones. Rather than be disappointed, I was intrigued to learn more about the high-quality “resin” used in this set. The style of the clasp was also interesting.
In researching information about the wonderful “resin”, I turned to Alice Vega’s book Monet The Master Jewelers published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2011. I found one mention of an enameling process to simulate the look of resin referring to Monet’s 1981 Collection Concepts line. It reads,
Monet used a special enameling technique in Collection Concepts to simulate the look of stones using enamel. It was achieved by pouring a large amount of enamel into the empty jewelry cavity and leveling it off at the top just before it dried. It was then hand polished to a smooth glossy finish to simulate the look of a set stone.
Vega, p. 247
The Collection Concepts line was available in lapis and red. The colors in my set are not lapis or red. In addition, the resin is slightly domed. Still, I believe it is possible the resin in this set is a variation of the enameling technique used in 1981.
The second mystery is the Monet signature on the outside of the clasp. Most of my Monet jewelry dates to the 1980s or older and the signatures are on the underside of the clasps. I have not yet found any information on when this style of clasp was used; however, it certainly seems to be 1980s or newer.
I would love to know more about this set! For now, it is a Monet Mystery.
It is going to be a pretty fall weekend in North Carolina. I hope it is pretty where you are, too.
Happy Collecting,
Julie