The idea behind this project was inspired by a recent discovery of a forgotten necklace by a mineral enthusiast. While many people have heard of the famous Hamlin Necklace, commissioned by Augustus Hamlin in the late 1800's, composed of Maine tourmalines and currently owned by Harvard University, very few people are aware that this was not the only necklace he had made. In fact, the Hamlin necklace was one of two known necklaces. The second, newly discovered necklace was part of a suite named "the Parure of American Gems". Evidence of this previously unknown necklace was found only in one place, a Harper's Bazzar magazine from 1869.
As a jewelry designer and local history enthusiast (particularly as it relates to native gemstones and the people behind them), I found it both fascinating and disturbing that such an important piece of jewelry could be so completely lost. It got me interested in researching and preserving the story behind the "Parure" and other historically significant pieces of Maine gemstone jewelry. As a result, two things happened.
First, I began reading all known literature regarding the subject of Maine gemstone jewelry with the idea of eventually writing a book. As I amassed piles of photocopies and notes, I discovered several references to other unknown pieces and actually found a new pendant at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. The two pieces that I found most fascinating were both of Hamlin's necklaces, not because of the design (the Parure is a wonderful piece, the Hamlin Necklace focuses more on the gemstones than the metalwork), but because of the idea that Hamlin used multiple pendants as components to create a "Master" necklace as impressive as any royal "crown jewels" of the era.
Hamlin also seemed to use both necklaces as showcases for American gemstones (although in its current configuration, the Hamlin Necklace consists of Maine tourmalines). It also seems that in the case of the Hamlin Necklace, he used it as a sales device for the individual pendants. There is also evidence that at least the original Hamlin Necklace was accompanied by dozens of additional, interchangeable pendants of different gemstone colors from many other localities, some not even American, enabling the wearer to colorcoordinate with clothing or occasions.
The idea of being able to wear one pendant, some pendants or all pendants depending on the situation is something that I find very intriguing and was the inspiration for the second thing that happened.
I had a brainstorm one night- to design and create a "Hamlin-style" necklace with Maine gemstones and in an Art Nouveau style. I would design a master necklace with multiple attachment points. Like the Parure, my master necklace would include multi-color gemstones and could be worn by itself. All the pendants would be detachable and be able to be worn on a separate chain if desired or as a single pendant hanging from the master necklace. Each pendant would be in a similar style and there would be no mistaking the idea that they were all part of a "family ". They would all feature Maine gemstones but would be accented by diamonds instead of the colorless beryls that Hamlin often used. Finally, the pendants would be commissioned and owned by as many different people as possible. Once all the pendants were completed, the owners and their pendants would be invited to an assembly event where I would put the entire thing together and everyone would get a chance to wear it as a whole, take pictures and participate in what I hope will be an historic event as the necklace will only be together as a complete piece once.
I began discussing this idea with customers that seemed like they might be interested in participating and sold the idea to two; a couple from Waterford and a man from Paris (Maine). The Waterford couple was the first. I showed them a stunning 12+ carat blue oval tourmaline that I had recently cut for Gary Freeman, owner and operator of the famous Mount Mica tourmaline mine. Gary had kindly (and shrewdly) allowed me to cut several of his better pieces of newly found gem rough and market them through my store. They fell in love with it (as we all did) and bought it loose immediately. I had an inspiration while waiting in line at the Hannaford Deli and began sketching designs for the pendant that night. I finally came up with a blueprint that would lend itself to my master plan. They loved it and I began to create it. I carved wax for a couple of days and then cast it in 18k yellow gold. It had 8 diamond accents ranging from 3mm to 1mm and turned out as beautiful as we could have hoped. My customers were very pleased and began talking about the master chain.
I had some vague ideas and began refining my doodles into something more concrete, deciding eventually upon a triangular link with Art Nouveau styling which matched the motif of the pendant. There were 13 links, each connected by a triangular jump ring. A bezel set triangular gemstone hung from every jump ringalternating green tourmaline and amethyst. I carved a master link from wax and cast it in sterling to create a master model, from which any number of links could be made using a rubber mold and subsequent wax copies. The jump rings all needed to be made by hand. I wound 18 gauge 18k yellow gold wire around a ring mandrel and cut large circular jump rings. Then I cut three equal sized curved sections of the larger jump rings and soldered them together in a triangle. Next, I selected an appropriately sized trillion gemstone (7mm) and carved a bezel setting for it. After casting it (again in sterling) and refining it's shape and fine tuning it's size, I soldered a small round jump ring to one tip and molded it in rubber. I could now make multiple master necklaces.
In the meantime, I sold my idea to the man from Paris who wanted to surprise his wife with something completely spectacular. I showed him several large gemstones, including a 27+carat trillion-shaped Fourth of July Amethyst I had cut a few years earlier. He loved the stone and thought it perfect. I sketched a few vague ideas, resketched, refined and finally came up with a suitably spectacular design which he loved. I ended up casting his pendant very shortly after the first pendant. When it was finished and set with the Amethyst and accent diamonds we began discussing the creation of the master necklace that it would hang from even as I was discussing the very same project with my first clients. I ended up creating them both virtually at the same time. One was finished a couple of weeks after the other, but I don't remember which.
One major issue was coming up with all the 6mm trillion amethysts and tourmalines that were set in the master necklaces. They needed to be very similar in color and cut and I didn't have enough of them in my current inventory. My assistant and I spent a week or so cutting 6mm trillions.
Since I wanted to be able to detach the pendants at will, I used a large, slightly modified spring ring as an attachment device on the blue oval pendant but decided that the amethyst pendant might be too heavy for such a thing. For that, I just used a heavy jump ring and didn't solder it shut.
When assembled, the two necklaces were truly beautiful and exceeded every expectation of both clients.
I felt at this time, that my own wife was being left out of this important picture and so began playing with some ideas for her upcoming birthday present using a stunning square Fourth of July amethyst gemstone that I had saved since 1993. This stone weighed in the 8carat range, had a checkerboard table and was one of the deepest colored stones that I had ever cut from the tons of amethyst that my partners and I had mined from our Deer Hill mine. I was saving it for something ultra special and this was it. Using the same Art Nouveau styling, I created another pendant also in 18k yellow gold and accented with diamonds. It turned out as lovely as the other two and Julie loved it.
Sometime after this, I approached Gary Freeman about creating several pieces of jewelry using some of his other top end Mount Mica tourmalines. He agreed to my plan and showed me a piece of gem rough which he had mined the previous summer. This piece of tourmaline was a deep, saturated mint green, very reminiscent of the best Newry material. The stone I cut from this stone was an oval of 4.76 carats. Gary had given me complete control over the design so I sketched with that in mind. The pendant that I eventually created reflected a definite advance of the necklace's motifs.
Gary was pleased with the pendant and commissioned one more, using a 14.97 carat emerald cut green Mount Mica tourmaline that I had used in a value survey I had conducted that year at the Tucson Gem Show. The general reaction to the stone among the veteran gem dealers I showed it to was very positive, most dealers thought it to be a pleasing shade of green and lively. I decided to use it rather than any of the other ones because there seemed to be an intensity to the green that was striking. When the pendant was designed and created, I set the tourmaline and was surprised to see that this quality of the stone was augmented by the setting. The finished pendant was stunning.
The next pendant was commissioned by the first couple. I custom-cut four more stones at their request, each to be used in an additional pendant. All four pieces of rough (two pink, two green) were part of the Calef Collection that I had purchased several years earlier. Glen Calef was Plumbago Mining Corp.'s first gem cutter. This tourmaline was part of Mr. Calef's payment for gemcutting services during Plumbago's initial start up. The first gemstone we selected was a pink trillion with three optical bubbles cut into a modified three-facet culet. I used a design inspired by another design I had done for Dale Sweatt, one of 
the initial discoverers of the Newry tourmaline bonanza that the four stones had been part of. The finished piece was again another step forward in the progression of the necklace's motif with it's improved proportion and addition of the gemstone's optic bubbles.
The Waterford couple commissioned one more pendant in the fall of 2010 and I designed it using one of the remaining Newry stones- a rectangular, mintgreen stone with a checkerboard table. I used the same style as the pink trillion, with some minor alterations to accommodate the emerald-cut shape and produced a pendant which balanced it on the other side of the original Mt. Mica blue oval. Currently, we have plans for the last two pendants in their necklace to be completed relatively soon.
The Man from Paris has plans for two additional pendants and a woman from Poland (Maine) who is a figure in the local gem-mining scene has commissioned one made from a large, recently found aquamarine. I recently completed cutting it in a total free-form style, unlike anything I have ever done and have finished sketching a design for the goldwork. Work on this piece will commence soon.
The end of this project is in sight although like the original Hamlin Necklace, I suspect there may be many more pendants designed for it. The original collection might be the most well known, but as time has passed I see the artwork progressing and becoming more creative. It may come to pass that this project inspires further projects, all related and interchangeable but with new directions and motifs. The possibilities are incredibly exciting.
- Dennis Creaser, April 26, 2011
