The design of this 14k yellow gold 'tubogas' necklace is chic and timeless. Tubogas translates to “gas pipe” and is the descriptive name given to a type of chain formed from a pair of interlocking gold strips wrapped tightly together. Long strips of gold or steel with raised edges are wrapped around a core, which is later removed, which fit together to create a single, seamless and very flexible band, that has a smooth feeling and will fall effortlessly against your skin.
A similar technique to create gold thread has been known since millennia, and was used by ancient Romans. However, the form we currently associate with tubogas was created in the late 19th Century, as seen in this example. This late 19th Century necklace has small 'rivets' which completely disappear in the later examples, which became very popular in the 1940s.
General Information
Size: 44 cm / 17.25 inches long, 9 mm wide.
Weight: 30.50 grams
Age: Late 19th Century, circa 1890s.
Material and maker: Hallmarked for 14k gold with a Dutch hallmark, used between 1853 and 1905. The clasp is further hallmarked with a maker's mark 'B', which I was not able to identify.
Condition: In great antique condition with only minor signs of wear, consistent with age.
Please note that the antique box is for display purposes.