Pools of Light Antique Crystal Necklace

This  necklace is a stunning antique design consisting of a string of 9 rock crystal orbs called 'pools of light'.  Each sphere of naturally formed, transparent quartz is hand polished to a perfectly round shape and is entirely limpid, virtually free of inclusions or imperfections. Believed to bring you luck, in order for these crystals, originally imported from China and Japan, to maintain their powers, they could not be drilled or they would lose their magic, or their 'chi'. Thus all pools of light are held in place with some kind of framework on the outside of the sphere and are never drilled as a bead would be.

Thus in this necklace, each orb is held in place by a thin, straight sterling silver wire, referred to as 'picture frame wire'. The wires act like a lasso which hug a groove around the equator of each globe of crystal. This particular necklace design has the orbs spaced evenly along a 20” sterling silver long-short style chain, clasping with what we presume is it original 1920’s era spring ring.

'Pools of light' were so named because when worn in natural light the spherical crystals refract the light so that they seem to glow like little magical orbs of water or drops of light against the skin of the wearer. Their popularity began in the late Victorian period and ended around the 1930's.

The very word 'crystal' itself is an Old English Word descended from the French 'cristal' and in turn the Greek and Latin words, 'krustallos' and 'crystallum' which meant ice, or something resembling ice. Early dicoveries of crystal were believed to be frozen ice which would never thaw...Pools of light are an apt embodiment of this idea and in addition seeing as these crystals are undrilled, they eye-catchingly turn the image of that which is behind them upside down, much like the lens of an eye or camera adding to their guile.

MATERIALS: Sterling Silver, Rock Crystal

LENGTH: 20”

DIMENSIONS: Each orb is 15mm in diameter. The chain is 2mm wide. Spring Ring clasp is 7mm.