Vintage German Turquoise Look Alike Remodel

by Ingrid Calarco.
(Fairfax, Virginia USA)

Vintage German Turquoise look alike beads

My dear friend asked me to modernize several pieces from her Grandmothers fashion jewelry collection. All of the pieces were purchased in Germany in the late 1950’s to early 1960’s and remained in Germany until my friend brought them to America with her upon marrying an American.

This is the second piece I remodeled. The first was a gorgeous set of German black jet crystals also 1960’s era. Until I cut the beads apart from the string, I was convinced they were actually stone. The color is so good and the weight of the beads is significant. Only when I looked in the hole, was it apparent that these were manufactured glass. The quality is outstanding without a chip anywhere.

My friend asked that this double choker strand be converted to one long strand. She likes the flexibility of wearing it long or doubled. We added crystals to modernize it and gold spacers to match the original clasp and keep the beads from chipping (they had been knotted before). There were enough beads left to create a stretch bracelet and 3 sets of earrings.

One set of earrings has a gold tone Celtic knot suspending a turquoise and 2 crystal beads to match the mother set. The other 2 sets of earrings are the same with sterling silver Celtic knots. The 2 sets are for my friend’s daughters. They will now have something belonging to their maternal German great grandmother which also represents their fathers Irish heritage

I was very pleased to not only modernize this gorgeous vintage necklace, but to get so many pieces out of it. My friend was so pleased to have these special pieces of jewelry for herself and to share with her daughters incorporating this feeling of German and Irish, Old and New.

Ingrid Calarco
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