Posted 10 years ago
Peasejean55
(413 items)
This Art Deco necklace/choker was made in Geislingen, Germany approx in the year 1935.
The necklace Was made by WMF Myra Ikora glass beads. The beads have been hand crafted. The pink beads would have been coated in a thin layer of Silver which gives the beads a wonderful iridescent glow. There are 28 Myra beads in between the beads are 3 smaller gold spacer beads.
The necklace/choker measures approx 43 cm long and 37.4 grams, the clasp looks to be more recent.
Comments are most welcome
Many thanks for looking
Love WMF!! So Deco this one!
They have a lovely glow, don't they?
Thank you BellaEpoque, they are Beauties, I also have a WFM bracelet which I deleted, I shall repost. Many thanks katherinescollections they are nice Art Deco beads :-)
Many thanks
DrFluffy
officialfuel
Manikin
aghcollect
Kyra
PatSea
Zowie
Vladimir
racer
An EYE-OPENER !!!!!!
Hi vetraio I was wondering if you could help me on these beads. I was under the impression that Myra beads are quite rare, would you know if they are. I have done some research and from what I have read they are not common I really need a second opinion.
So very beautiful!
Thank you Elisabethan for your lovely comment and love.
Many thanks
Valentino
Hi peasejean. Love your Myra beads. You are correct -- these are quite uncommon!
I have collected a number of versions of these and done some research on their history, so hopefully this will help. I have found two lines -- the Myra Ikora and the Myra Kristall. It appears the Ikora beads came in a number of pastel colors (I have pink and yellow, but have seen them at auction in blue, lilac and opaque), strung in a variety of styles. For example, here are lemon yellow glass beads on their original chain. Ikora Medusa glass was launched in March 1930 : 'We chose a light cheerful lemon yellow for the Medusa collection'. It is zitro-glass, developed with cerium oxide. http://photos.imageevent.com/bluboi/deco/WMF%20beads_yellow1.jpg
The Myra Kristall were the more difficult ones to produce. This is a description I pulled from a site (can't remember where!): Essentially a firm specializng in Art Nouveau metalwork, WMF produced superior iridescent glass items from 1926 - 1938. The WMF designer Karl Weidman, using the same techniques as Tiffany used in their iridized glass, created the Myra Kristall range which went into production in 1926. The glass was covered in a thin layer of silver and etched with iridescent metal salts. This resulted in a peacock green/ blue and golden luster with a matte finish. As an added decorative effect the glass was blown out to achieve a slightly crazed surface. When lit from behind, Myra glass is always recognizable from its honey color. This glassmaking process was so difficult, that WMF stopped making the beads.
I have found Myra Kristall beads most commonly in two shades: of green/ peacock/ gold, and blue / peacock / gold. I have also found a rare shade of iridescent purple. Here are some photos of Kristall beads:
Two strands in the "more common" colors against black background:
http://photos.imageevent.com/bluboi/deco/websize/WMF-2%20beads%20on%20black.jpg
Same beads against white background:
http://photos.imageevent.com/bluboi/deco/websize/WMF-2%20beads%20on%20white.jpg
Showing the honey color with light going through:
http://photos.imageevent.com/bluboi/deco/websize/WMF%20beads1.jpg
Two views of the purple beads:
http://photos.imageevent.com/bluboi/deco/websize/WMF%20Myra%20beads_purple2.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/bluboi/deco/websize/WMF%20Myra%20beads_purple1.jpg
Wow, many thanks Bluboi, this is fantastic information. The Myra Kristall beads are absolutely stunning.
Yet again thank you for taking the time to give me this info :-)
one question Bluboi, the Myra Ikora beads are not coated in a Silver layer?
The literature mostly covers the Kristall beads being coated and is vague regarding the Ikora beads In fact, in going back through some references, I saw Myra Kristall and Ikora cited in a way in which one could assume there is a Myra line and an Ikora line. Here is an abstract from the book "WMF Ikora and Myra Glass:"
"Myra is the name given to the iridized glass that WMF began producing in 1926, using a crystal made with silver nitrate instead of lead. Ikora glass was discovered when the factory tried to repair a damaged Myra piece by covering it in clear glass. The effect was very attractive and unexpected, and gave rise to many experiments in combining colors and surface treatments."
This seems to be talking about two different lines of glass. Thus, I have not answered your question.... ;-) I think I have this book in my library so will rummage around and see if I can find anything more.
Thank you Bluboi, I would love to know what you uncover in your books.
Well, the one book I have on WMF wasn't any help. Sorry!
Bluboi, never mine you gave me so much information, I much appreciate it. Many thanks.
Many thanks
getthstmonkeyoutofme
Hi Bluboi, I was wondering about the beads in between the larger beads, could they be Myra Kristall.
Jean, those beads are metal spacers, I think usually brass.
What a FABULOUS POST !!!!!
Thanks for sharing this information, guys !!!!!
I'm glad you liked the post vetraio.
Many thanks
Elisabethan
antiquerose