The Estate Collection No. 9 - Peranakan Festoon Garland Necklace
The festoon garland necklace was a signature style of the Edwardian era, where light, open floral work was favoured amongst the upper crust of European society. Through the intermingling of the Europeans and the Straits Chinese in colonial Malaya, a distinctly Peranakan version of the garland necklace started to gain favour amongst wealthy Nyonya brides from the early 20th Century.
Dating back to the 1950s, this garland necklace was likely commissioned by a wealthy Peranakan family for a bride-to-be’s wedding day. The bride would wear this as an ornate overlay to the high-necked Western white wedding gown.
The necklace features open knife-edge work, draping swags, and freely swinging flower drops; it is proudly studded with intans and asymmetrical rose cut diamonds, dispersing light in a way that is different from the modern brilliant cut diamonds. Jade cabochons have been nestled throughout the piece, adding colour and depth to the necklace which can now be worn in two ways: as is, and also just by the chain itself.
“This necklace is a lovely reminder of my many conversations with Choo Yilin brides who would share that their wedding trousseau comprised jewellery from our collection paired with a “something old” that had been lovingly passed down from their parents or grandparents.”
This piece is part of a digital gallery exhibition and is not currently available for purchase.
The Estate Collection encompasses antique jewellery pieces thoughtfully restored to reflect our stories across time and continents — to honour history, to shape the present, and to hold space for what’s yet to unfold. Each piece is the only one of its kind in the world.
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