Name/Title
Modernist bib necklace, linked dark horn platesEntry/Object ID
2025.1.85Description
A bold modernist necklace composed of large, flat, polished plates of a dark brown-black material (reading as horn) joined by metal jump rings into a symmetrical bib, suspended from a silver-tone curb chain with two pierced double-ring (spectacle/interlocking-circle) connector links at the shoulders. Each side has a roughly D-shaped or trapezoidal plate linked to a longer curved blade-like plate; the two sides meet at a central long tapering tongue-shaped pendant plate that hangs well below the others, giving a long central drop. The plates are smooth and glossy with natural tonal variation. The metal links and chain are a tarnished silver tone.Item Type
NecklaceUse
Used frequently by María A. Arús Caraballo.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, María A. Arús Caraballo collectionMade/Created
Notes
MAKER: Unknown; unmarked. The deliberate, sculptural design suggests a craft/studio or small-workshop maker rather than mass production, but no maker's mark is visible; attribution open.
DATE / PERIOD: Not marked; the bold modernist style is characteristic of the 1960s–1970s.
ORIGIN: Not established from the object (no mark). If the material is horn and the piece is artisanal, a Cuban origin is plausible but not established.Materials
Material Notes
MATERIALS: Dark horn (most likely), polished — a dark polished plastic imitating horn cannot be excluded. Silver-tone base-metal chain, jump rings, and connector links.
TECHNIQUES: Cut, shaped, and polished flat plates (of horn or similar), pierced and joined with metal jump rings into an articulated bib; suspended from a commercial curb chain with decorative double-ring connectors. Combines hand-worked plates with ready-made findings.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
María A. Arús CaraballoNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
use, purchaseResearch Notes
Notes
This is a sculptural modernist bib necklace built from large polished horn plates linked into a symmetrical, articulated drop — a confident piece of design that stands apart from the manufactured costume jewelry recorded around it and reads as studio/craft work.
The bold geometry and scale are characteristic of 1960s–70s modernist jewelry, the basis for the tentative dating. No maker's mark is visible, so maker and origin are open; horn is worked in many craft traditions (including in Latin America and the Caribbean), so a Cuban or regional artisanal origin is plausible but must not be asserted without evidence.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
October 20, 2025Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 14, 2026
