Calliope Necklace

Wedgwood often based their pottery designs on muses and mythology. Most designs are scenic or feature poses, but this cameo unusual as it is a close-up portrait of a Goddess. I believe it depicts Calliope, the muse of Epic Poetry, identified by her center parted hair, high-bridged nose, flowing locks and braid, and tunic. Calliope is the oldest of the 9 Greek muses and is also known for being a Goddess in music, song, and dance. 

While traditional Wedgwood pieces are in blue. This is highly unusual in two cases. This cameo necklace features a tricolor design in buff yellow, black, and white, highlighting the technical expertise and difficulty in creating this piece. It's also in a buff yellow color, which has very limited production in antique circulation. The letter marks on the back of the pendant date it to 1900, as well as the overall design of the center mount, the lavaliere look was popular during this timeframe. It was likely that Wedgwood produced the cameo piece, which was then sent to a jeweler to be wrapped in a Greek key design with solid 15k gold and adding on dangling freshwater pearls (gemologist indicates it appears to be natural but to be conservative I’ll say cultured).

Specification

1900s original Wedgwood cameo necklace in an octagonal Greek key border with a tricolor buff design

15k yellow gold, mount is testing 15k and chain is testing slightly higher

Freshwater pearls

Necklace length at 16”

Cameo length at 1”, including overall centerpiece is 1.5”

Cameo width at 1”  

5.43g

Cost Drivers

Gemstone type: N/A for center, average for pearls

Gold purity level: supreme 

Gemstone quantity: N/A for center, basic for pearls

Gold weight: average

Rarity: supreme

Condition: average, small gaps around the border of the cameo near Calliope’s hair. Piece is very stable, only visible under magnification.     

Background

Josiah Wedgwood was the founder of Wedgwood pottery and the creator of jasperware. Jasperware was designed to resemble jasper, a type of quartz, and became synonymous with Wedgwood’s craftsmanship. His pottery factory was in a village named Etruria, which derived its name from the Etruscan style inspired by excavations in the 1760s and 70s. These excavations sparked interest in Roman life, leading European styles to mimic it and increasing demand for related artifacts, which Wedgwood provided in the ways of his inspired pottery creations.

Dating Wedgwood can be very challenging, but there are present marks that can support dating this item. The back of this pendant says, “VBC”. The first letter indicating the month of when this was created, the 2^nd letter being the potter’s mark, and third the year of when this was created. The letter C indicates that the cameo was created in 1900.

Wedgwood’s jasperware with a color + white look can be referred to as Jasperware dip. The potter will start with a white base before imparting a color. Wedgwood can also be dated by identifying the color. “Cobalt” Blue is the most popular and therefore more readily available. This necklace appears to be the “Buff” color, the more beige compared to the “yellow” which is brighter in shade. The buff color was thought to be produced only for a small moment in time from 1929 – 1933. However, there’s book representations of pottery items produced earlier than these years.

References: 

Herman, M. (2003). Wedgwood Jasper ware: A shape book and collector’s guide. Schiffer. 

Calliope, muse of epic poetry | cleveland museum of art. (n.d.). https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2003.6.4