Necklace

The Kalo Shop, one of the earliest, largest, and most productive of Chicago's metalworking concerns, was founded in 1900 by Clara P. Barck (1868–1965) and a small group of women designers—all graduates of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Under Clara Barck’s management and that of her husband, George S. Welles, the Kalo community became a school and workshop for aspiring artisans, many of them women. Their work was largely hand-wrought and reflects the tenets of simplicity and utility set forth by the Kalo motto, "Beautiful, Useful, and Enduring." Most Kalo jewelry is made of silver, sometimes set with semi-precious stones or pearls. The present necklace is a rare example of their work in gold. Each garnet is set in an asymmetrical openwork floral surround, exemplifying the Art Nouveau taste typical of their pre-1920 designs. It is often difficult to date their output because the same Kalo marks were used over a long period of time. Likewise, because their artisans were not allowed to add their own signatures, it is rare to be able to identify the actual jeweler.