General Information:

• Length: 50.50 inches (128.27 cm/1282.70 mm) with spring ring closure
• Precious Metal Weight: About 5.75 dwt
• Precious Metal Material: This chain was sold to the shop as, and stamped ONLY on the findings for, 10k yellow gold, though upon testing in-shop, the slide and dog clip test for just over 10k (as correctly stamped), but the rope chain itself tests for closer to 14k. The entire piece exhibits a very buttery, warm yellow gold throughout.
• Dimensions: This necklace is 50.50 inches in length, crafted in the eternity style as most long guard and muff chains historically were. The disc slide measures just over 10 mm in diameter, the dog clip measures 14.50 mm in length and has an interior opening diameter of about 2.90 mm at its widest. This dog clip does not swivel, but does open and close well and its hinge operated "mouth" is aligned and meets properly when shut, but does not 'click' because it is not designed to do so (given its hinge style function).
• Weight: A very nice weight of 8.96 grams
• Markings: The disc slide is stamped with "10K" on one side, and the outside of the dog clip likewise bears a "10K" stamp. The inside of the dog clip is marked "P & K", for its maker. This maker may be Payton & Kelley Company. Please read more about this company's history in "The Story" below.
• Era: This chain is believed to date to sometime between the 1890s and the first few years of the 1900s. It could very well be that it is slightly earlier, though it is very likely not any later.
• Buyer Notes: This piece is an extravagant treasure, surprisingly versatile in wearability and utterly chic in its timeless simplicity. It is believed to have hand-soldered links combined to create an undulating rope chain, in which every twist and link beautifully catches the light to add twinkle and interest when worn. Please note that the slide no longer has functional sticking power, and rather prevails as an elegant accessory to the chain, yet one which may be used and incorporated into the numerous ways one can style this necklace. Likewise, this antique chain shows two areas of wear commensurate with age and use (pictured), and which may certainly be addressed by the next caretaker's trusted jeweler post-purchase if so desired. It is wearable and has been worn for years as-is, though we always encourage having all secondhand finds checked by a bench jeweler prior to consistent wear. As well, it is best to be thoughtful when considering when, how and where to sport one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable antique pieces!

The Story:

Believed to be of late Victorian to early Edwardian make, circa 1890s-1900s, this luxuriously lengthy chain is known as a long guard chain or muff chain by collectors. When it was fabricated well over a century ago, it was designed specifically as a ladies' neck chain intended to hold either a dainty pocket watch, a pair of folding lorgnette spectacles, or even a functional or decorative jewelry fob or two. It is complete with a solid 10k gold slide finding, which was crafted as part of the chain (intentionally unable to be removed), and which today no longer bears the capacity to stick or hold in place as it once was.

Historically, these long chains were superbly popular for virtually hundreds of years, and by the Victorian period, it was most fashionable to wear it doubled or tripled around the neck, and/or to use the slide to adjust the aesthetic of the chain against the bust and to complement the wearer's gown. Rather than worn as a sole statement piece, women very often wore chains in the company of brooches, rings, bracelets and earrings.

For a 10 karat gold chain, its chroma is a bright and buttery yellow gold, complete with a slight natural patina that is seen as a most desirable trait of antique gold pieces. Of note is that antique 9k and 10k golds do not exhibit the lighter brassy hues of contemporary lower-karat golds, as historic alloys comprised of richer colored metals-- such as copper. Due to this copper content in lower karats antique jewels, they typically appear much richer in color than newer pieces of equal gold purity. While this chain is by no means pinkish, it certainly boasts an intense warmth atypical to most 10k gold.

This chain is believed to have been made by Payton & Kelley Company of Providence, Rhode Island. P&K Co. has roots stretching back to 1843, when it was humbly founded out of a small wooden structure by George W. Kelley and Stephen Hawkins. This original venture operated as Payton & Hawkins, and though it was eventually dissolved, Mr. Kelley did continue to pursue the industry on his own until 1879. After this point, his son Samuel E. Kelley carried on the family business alongside H. Frank Payton (and later August V. Payton) thus becoming known by the title Payton & Kelley. Records show that the company was formally incorporated on July 5, 1900.

A new generation of ownership entered around 1904, and after Samuel E. Kelley passed away in March 1911, another industry contemporary by the name of George N. Steere entered the enterprise. The company was known during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for their production of fine finger rings, pendants and beads, pins and brooches, and chains. Though no official records can be found discussing the company's closure, the last mention found of Payton & Kelley Co. is dated 1923, during the dawn of the Art Deco period. This piece, should its origins indeed be the craftsmanship of Payton & Kelley Co., dates to the last several decades of the company's presence within the American jewelry scene.

This chain is in good, wearable condition, and comes directly out of the Revival Fine Jewelry personal collection, where it has been lovingly worn and very affectionately enjoyed for years. While it was most frequently donned as a double-wrapped necklace and adorned with a favorite pair of pendants, it looks just as fabulous worn alone as it does when styled.