A small collection of pendants that belonged to my grandmother:
Lately I wear this one the most:
Jade with ruby and opal
I wear this one when my outfit just needs a little something:
1945 two-peso piece with rope chain, front and back
I think this one is quirky and it always makes me smile. I wore it when we went to a Valentine’s Day taping of the Martha Stewart Show:
Cupid pendant with rubies and emerald
This probably came from one of her many trips to Mexico:
Silver fish
This next one is interesting. It’s an Amita, or Komai, damascene piece. Damascene jewelry is made by embedding wire or metal shapes into a piece of non-precious metal (iron or steel), which is then blackened by oxidation. Amita is a Japanese company that dates back to 1947, but the process has been around for centuries and (from what I gather) was referred to as ‘Komai’ when it was used to decorate Samurai swords. A lot of damascene jewelry is now made in Spain. You can see a little step-by-step guide here. I would love to know the age and story behind this pendant:
Japanese damascene pendant, front and back with ‘Amita’ stamp
I’ve saved the best for last. My grandmother had a few pieces of jewelry that I think of as iconic to her legacy, and hopefully I will be able to share pictures of some of those pieces soon, but they are distributed throughout the family. I ended up with this one, which I seldom wear, but I remember my grandmother wearing it often and I keep it in a place where I see it every day:
Mazatlan pendant
Thanks for looking!
