Poet’s Companion: Antique Gold-Filled Chatelaine Pencil Necklace with Garnet End

A little antique writing pencil worn as a necklace — I find that irresistible. This rare 19th-century chatelaine pencil is beautifully made in warm gold fill, with fine engraved detailing along the slender shaft and a faceted garnet at the end. Once suspended from a lady’s chatelaine for jotting down notes and correspondence, it still has its original character. Remove the top and you can see the small chamber where the writing graphite was stored.

I love the idea of carrying such a useful little object into a new life as jewelry. The gold-filled chain retains its original sliding ring and is finished with a signature sterling clasp. I especially love the gentle signs of wear on the pencil — the sort of wear that tells us it was actually used and enjoyed. It is a wonderful necklace for anyone who loves antique writing accessories, unusual jewelry, or the small objects that tell us something about how women lived in another time. This necklace was created by Karen Lindner, whose jewelry is known for reimagining extraordinary antique objects as one-of-a-kind jewelry. Karen is no longer creating jewelry, making her work increasingly special to collectors.

• gold fill 1-1/2" long pencil
• 30" gold filled chain
• signature sterling clasp