Every Ukrainian maiden and woman had a necklace 100 years ago. It was a must. She could not wear earrings, finger rings, or bracelets, but she usually had some necklaces on, even when doing daily chores. In some regions, adornments were extremely cheap and simple, in others – women went to the field in a Venetian glass necklace for, if her house got destroyed by fire when she was out, she could take off her necklace, sell it, and rebuild the house. That’s how expensive these jewels could be. But let’s have a good look at various vintage necklace sets from different regions of Ukraine.
Glorious set of skillfully-crafted seed beaded necklaces from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Kolomyia district, the late 19th – early 20th century
Lovely combination of coral, fake coral, garnet, silver beads, and coin pendants called “dukach”. There are at least 4 different necklaces here. It’s a jewelry set of a bride from Poltava region of Ukraine, Myrhorod district, the late 19th century
Intricate jewels from Sumy region of Ukraine, Okhtyrka district, the late 19th – early 20th century. The necklace is made from cute tiny sticks of natural coral and the pendant is huge, with an elaborate setting
Beautiful jewelry set from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Kosiv district, village of Babyn, the early 20th century. There are 2 seed beaded chokers, 2 glass beaded necklaces (red and blue), and a silver necklace composed of silver coins and lovely silver beads
Wide and colorful seed beaded necklace from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Kalush district, Mezhyrichchia village, the early 20th century
Lovely set of jewels from Vinnytsia region of Ukraine, Tulchin district, the 1920-1930s. Today we would call it “imitation jewelry” and wouldn’t treasure it too much, but at the beginning of the 20th century, women considered such jewelry valuable and dear to their heart. The set includes several rows of glass beaded necklaces, fake pearls, and a seed beaded choker
Elegant necklace set from Donetsk region of Ukraine, Kramatorsk district, the late 19th – early 20th century. It consists of several rows of clay beaded necklaces, an intricate garnet necklace, and a dukach pendant on a ribbon
Lovely jewelry set from Chernihiv region of Ukraine, Nizhyn district, the late 19th century. The necklaces are coral and fake coral, but the most eye-catching item is the dukach pendant with a huge setting adorned with artful enamel décor
Not very opulent but elegant jewelry set from Luhansk region of Ukraine, Siverodonetsk district, the late 19th – early 20th century. The beads are fake coral and glass, and silver coins are used as extra decoration
Such jewels are very typical for the Polissia (woodland) area of Ukraine. This set is from Rivne region of Ukraine, Sarny district, the early 20th century. It’s rather cheap – no costly coral, silver, or gold – but women tried to embellish themselves even in poorer regions. The beaded necklaces are made from glass and clay, the pendant called “molitovka” is a religious icon made from foil, glass, and copper setting
Extravagant necklace set that includes 10 rows of fake coral with 3 plain silver beads, a turquoise-colored glass beaded necklace, and a striking amber necklace with huge accent beads. This jewelry is from Kyiv region of Ukraine, Fastiv district, the late 19th – early 20th century
Beautiful vivid necklace set from Cherkasy region of Ukraine, Cherkasy district, the early 20th century. All of the necklaces are made from glass beads – red, green, black, burgundy, and pink
Jewelry set from Kharkiv region of Ukraine, Izium district, the late 19th – early 20th century. The beads are fake coral and the dukach pendant is gold-plated, with a setting encrusted with colorful glass
Very interesting set of jewels from Odesa region of Ukraine, Podil district, the early 20th century. It consists of shiny glass beads (at least they used to be shiny 100 years ago) and a necklace made from mother-of-pearl beads called “balamuty”
Intricate necklace from Zakarpattia region of Ukraine, Khust district, the early 20th century. It’s made from simple glass beads and seed beads, but what an unusual design!
Fancy necklace set consisting of Venetian glass beads and silver coins. Looks really sophisticated. It’s from Ternopil region of Ukraine, Chortkiv district, the early 20th century
Cheap but catchy adornments from Khmelnytsk region of Ukraine, Kamianets-Podilskyi district, the early 20th century. The necklaces are glass, fake coral, and seed beaded. By the way, in the past, it was common to combine different colors and styles of jewelry, even if they look mismatched to our eye today
Simple jewelry set from Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, Novomoskovsk district, the early 20th century. The necklace is made from cheap glass beads, but the dukach pendant is silver and looks a lot better
Colorful necklace set from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Verkhovyna district, village of Biloberizka, the 1920-1930s. There is a colorful seed beaded choker, glass and stone beaded necklaces, and silver coins and a brass cross as pendants
