Schwalm women wore short beaded necklaces with their festive costumes.
These necklaces were mostly made with Bohemian glass beads with a bevel polishing.
They were also made with amber beads (for wealthier women).
The amber beads also got a bevel polishing.
A coloured silk ribbon was used to secure the necklace.
The beads of the necklace did not fully encircle the neck; a short distance at the back of the neck was bridged with the silk ribbon.
The beads were strung onto a strong thread.
Often the heavy necklaces were worn doubled. A knot in the thread
marked the place where the strand was turned and laid back.
The mid point of the silk ribbon was fastened at one end of the strand.
One end of the ribbon was threaded through the folded back strand at the knot mark on the opposite side of the necklace.
The ribbon ends were secured with a knot at the back of the neck.
In single strands, the beads were approximately the same size, but different sizes for girls and women were common.
Often the beads for adults had a diameter of about 2 cm. Such a double-row necklace containing thirty beads (on the left in the above image) weighs 280 g! Did you ever wear such a heavy necklace?
The amber discs had a thickness of nearly 1 cm
and a diameter of more then 2 cm.
Such a double-row amber necklace containing seventy-four discs weighs 190 g.
The chains lie upon the silk neckerchiefs.
This makes wearing the heavy rocks more pleasant.
Black necklaces made from glass beads were worn with the black costume.
In addition to these most common necklaces, there were also necklaces for special occasions such as marriage. These will be subject of a future article.
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