French antique gold necklace with enamel a so-called collier d'esclave - ca. 1810
Esclavage is French and literally means slavery. We'll leave it to your imagination to interpret this naming. It is a type of necklace composed of three or more chains or strings of beads or jewels, with the chains or strings hanging approximately equidistant from each other. They were worn in Normandy as peasant jewellery in the mid-18th century. Such jewels were, in many regions of France, the most beautiful jewel offered by the bridegroom to his bride on their wedding day. The definition of 'collier esclavage' appears for the first time in the 'Dictionnaire de Trévoux' in 1752. This necklace has a very wide geographical diffusion. In Normandy, the gold pieces were often engraved. A collier d'esclave is an extremely rare article to find, and we are proud to be able to offer one here.