Antique French 18k Gold Chains
1890s Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s French Edwardian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s Art Deco Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1870s French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s French Late Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1850s Georgian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Retro Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
19th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s French Art Deco Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold
1860s Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1850s French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold
1870s Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s French Edwardian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1910s French Art Nouveau Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold
1880s French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Late 19th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Diamond, Pearl, Tsavorite, 18k Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1840s French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1890s French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1880s Art Nouveau Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s French Art Deco Antique French 18k Gold Chains
White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1910s French Edwardian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Diamond, Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Platinum
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold
1920s French Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Diamond, Emerald, Turquoise, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Victorian Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Napoleon III Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s French Art Deco Antique French 18k Gold Chains
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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Antique French 18k Gold Chains For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Antique French 18k Gold Chains?
Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany & Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany & Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef & Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 30, 2024How much your 18K gold chain is worth depends on several factors. As a material, 18-karat gold typically fetches a higher price than 14-karat and 10-karat gold on the scrap market because it contains more pure gold. When selling a piece for scrap, the length, thickness and weight of your chain will determine how much you can expect to receive for it. It's also possible that your chain may be worth more than the going scrap rate due to its style, maker, age and other characteristics. Consequently, you may wish to have a certified appraiser or knowledgeable jeweler evaluate your jewelry before you sell it. On 1stDibs, shop a wide range of gold chains.
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