Art Nouveau Compact Necklace

Designed to allow a lady to freshen her face while on the go, compacts first came about in the late 19th century. However, since wearing make-up was not socially acceptable at the time, many turn-of-the-century compacts were sneakily concealed within other accessories such as jewelry, hatpins or walking sticks. It didn't take long before make-up saw a rise in popularity and acceptance and soon compacts became a commonplace fashion accessory. This gorgeous silver plated necklace has had a bit of an evolution itself. The compact was most likely originally designed to be concealed in one's handbag. However at some point early on in its life, it was transformed into a lovely long necklace. I mean, this compact is so beautiful, who could blame anyone for wanting to show it off? In its heyday, this compact would have held a small compartment of pressed powder and a mirror for application. Unfortunately, both of these are no more. However, the glass of the mirror still remains and is now the