Vintage Jakob Bengel Art Deco brickwork / mauerwerk machine age chrome Y lariat necklace

Vintage Art Deco chrome Y lariat necklace produced in Germany in the 1930s by the Jakob Bengel factory. This is a classic example of their sought after brickwork / mauerwerk jewellery, which used chain construction previously used for watch chains in a new and innovative way for costume jewellery. This necklace is a simple silver tone shiny chrome - there is no sign that there was any paintwork on any of the links but this was often the case with these pieces and it sometimes wears off.

I love the engineering that goes into the pieces - the necklace looks identical worn either way around - the front is identical to the reverse. In this example, there is a central diamond shaped pendant section with different brickwork from the links around the neck. It is a classic Art Deco geometric design in the machine age style - to me it is simple and chic. This piece has a length of 16 inches around the neck with a 2 1/2 inch pendant section length. It fastens with a secure spring ring clasp. It is a fabulous quality necklace and it is in very good vintage condition.

Jakob Bengel was a chain and costume jewellery factory, founded by Jakob Bengel in 1873 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. Until 1920, the company specialised in the production of watch chains and chatelaines (pendants for pocket watches). In the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the leading manufacturers of fashion jewellery in the Art Deco style. It was during the Bauhaus and Art Deco period that designers were looking to obtain new materials and inspiration to produce costume jewellery. Inspired by French Avant Garde and other fashion trendsetters such as Coco Chanel, Bengel started to produce experimental jewellery. The pieces, catalogued 1924-1939, combined brass and chrome with geometric shapes of coloured galalith.