Onyx diamond starburst orb necklace

Black onyx orb inset with gold and diamond starburst on gold chain.

We designed and made this onyx, gold and diamond charm pendant based on antique Victorian women’s 'Albertina' fobs from the 19th century, a popular form of jewelry worn by women and inspired by men’s watch fobs. The onyx orb itself is vintage and we set it with a 14k recycled gold,  5-point star inset with a diamond chip; this simple starburst is an echo of the Victorian star motif representing the North Star. All of the gold used in this piece is 14k yellow gold, including the chain.

If you follow our work, you will see an exploration of this theme of the North Star both among the pieces that we make ourselves and the antique pieces we collect and offer in our Estate Collection.  We have offered countless antique original variations of this locket, and even created an entire collection of brass and diamonds based on the North Star (see the collection here).

These stars were most popular in the 19th century and were featured on jewelry and accessories for both men and women.  The stone at the center ranged from precious to semi-precious in congruence with the value of the metal...This engraved star can also be interpreted, depending on how much it is embellished, as the compass rose, a sunburst or cosmic body.

MATERIALS: Onyx, 14k gold, diamond.

CHAIN DETAILS: This pendant ships on an 18" long 14k yellow gold chain necklace, 1mm cable chain. (*Other lengths and styles are available upon request.)

CHARM DIMENSIONS: Orb is 3/8"(10mm)diameter. The bail adds another 2mm to the height of the orb.