Name/Title
Bead Necklace with Gilt-Metal Curb Chain and Scroll SpacersEntry/Object ID
2025.1.27Description
A graduated-bead necklace combining a yellow gilt-metal curb-chain back section with a front section of graduated marbled / pearlescent yellow-cream celluloid or early-plastic spherical beads interspersed with smaller pearl-like beads and two prominent gilt-metal scroll-shaped spacers. Closure is a gilt rectangular bar-and-loop clasp.
DESCRIPTION:
A single-strand necklace combining two distinct visual sections:
Back section (upper half of the necklace as worn): a flexible yellow-gold-toned curb chain (small linked metal loops, classic "cadena cubana" or "Cuban link" curb-chain pattern). The chain terminates at the closure — a gilt rectangular bar-and-loop clasp (a flat horizontal rectangular bar fitting into a corresponding loop, the standard "fold-over" or "box" clasp pattern).
Front section (lower / decorative half): a graduated arrangement of spherical beads strung on small wire-link connectors. The beads are of marbled / pearlescent appearance, ranging from translucent cream-yellow to deeper gold-yellow with internal swirls and "veining" — the visual signature of celluloid, Bakelite, or early thermoset plastic beads simulating amber, agate, or pearl. The bead arrangement is graduated: smaller beads flank the outer edges where the bead section meets the chain, with the bead size increasing toward the front-center bottom of the necklace where the largest bead hangs. Between the larger beads, smaller accent beads are interspersed in pairs or singles. Two prominent gilt-metal scroll-shaped or "comma"-shaped ornamental spacers interrupt the bead sequence at roughly symmetrical points on either side of the center, framing the central section as a focal pendant-like grouping.
Each bead is individually linked to its neighbors by short wire-link connectors (not strung on a single continuous thread), giving the necklace a chain-like structural integrity throughout the front section as well.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collectionAcquisition
Accession
2025.1Notes
Belonged to Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez.Made/Created
Notes
MAKER / ARTIST: Unattributed. The overall design is consistent with mid-20th-century costume jewelry, mass-produced for the Cuban (and broader Latin American) market.
DATE / PERIOD: Estimated mid-20th century, c. 1960s.
ORIGIN: Cuba (most likely).Materials
Material
Metal, PlasticMaterial Notes
MATERIALS: Gilt metal / gold-tone base-metal alloy (curb chain, scroll spacers, clasp, wire connectors); marbled / pearlescent plastic for the beads (most likely celluloid, casein, or early thermoset plastic — visual texture suggests "early plastic" rather than later acrylic).
TECHNIQUES: Machine-made curb-link chain; molded plastic beads (drilled and threaded with wire links); cast or stamped gilt-metal scroll spacers; jump-ring wire-link assembly between beads; manufactured bar-and-loop clasp.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Gertrudis Caraballo GálvezNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
useCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
August 28, 2025Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
May 31, 2026
