Description
This splendid piece of jewelry, which we would call a necklace, could have been worn without or with a pendant, around the neck or (in the case of a woman) the waist. The pendant might be a large mounted jewel or an insignia of office or an order.
In the 19th or early 20th century, the collar was repaired. Apparently at that time, someone added to the bottom of the pendant a tiny enameled figure of a white sheep-symbol of the great Habsburg military Order of the Golden Fleece. This presumably added to the collar's value by introducing an exclusive historical association. An American buyer would not have known that the presentation of the historical elements is incorrect.
Some of the gems have been replaced.
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