Lovely Unusual Sterling & Labradorite Necklace Alana Leigh

Jewelry : Vintage : Silver, Sterling

 

This is an exquisite solid sterling silver necklace, beautifully designed with an 18" chunky chain, unusual centre drop, and six magnificent, glowing labradorite rondelles.

The wonderful piece was purchased from U.S. designer Alana Leigh on a trip to San Francisco. This piece is called a sterling Medieval Envelope, from Leigh's rather exclusive line of necklaces.

I went to her site and saw a similar garnet envelope with a price tag of $398! And that was about the lowest price tag I saw. Most of Leigh's jewelry is in the $500-$800 range.

The labradorites (incredibly under-looked as a gemstone), on this necklace are much nicer than the garnets, in my opinion.

The lovely 7-mm rondelles are about the most beautiful I've seen: they glow magnificently with a beautiful schiller, displaying intense blues and violets through greens, yellows and oranges.

I thought they were moonstones at first, until I noticed all the different colours. It's a remarkable play of light, not readily noticeable from my photos. About the only colour my camera picked up was the blue.

Leigh has used a wonderful chunky, heavy sterling chain on which to string the glowing stones. The bottom envelope has the same chunky "medieval" feel to it. I love the tiny silver flowers that form the bail to the envelope--it's a lovely touch.

The necklace closes with a most lovely heart-shaped sterling clasp and hook, stamped with the maker's name. All in all, total weight is 26.3 grams.

Excellent condition. There's basically nothing to wear down on this necklace. The silver is slightly tarnished, and there are no chips, nicks or cracks to the stones.

Labradorite is a fairly sturdy stone, with a hardness of 6.

Item ID: 1573