Victorian Czech Antique large teardrop jet black mourning glass dress belt buckle

Large antique Vintage Czech Bohemian Victorian mourning jewelry jet black glass belt or dress buckle. Wonderful individual black glass elements tin soldered onto a wirework frame. 
This style of jewelry originated in the 1860's but had a resurgent period in 1901 after the death of Queen Victoria and had all but finished by 1903. The principal maker of this style of jewelry was Gebruder Feix of Albrechtice in the Jizera mountains.
This is of museum quality and recommended for collectors, costumiers or fashion designers for display purposes only. Note, two black glass elements are missing but this is still extremely rare jewelry.
Similar items made by Gebruder Feix can be found in The museum of glass and jewelry in Jablonec nad Nisou where there is a black costume jewelry exhibition.
Origin: Northern Bohemia circa 1880's
Size: 8 x 1.85 inches

The idea of imitating precious jet started in the 19th century. Production of glass "jet" began in the Jablonec area in the 1860's. Originally, the pressed glass was bonded with resin on to a solid metal base. After 1877, Gebruder Feix patented the riveting of glass stones onto metal bases. However, the real revolution came in the 1880's when production began by tin-soldering glass stones with sealed metal tubes on to a wire base. The boom in black costume jewelry making in Czech continued until the turn of the century and by the 1910's had virtually gone out of fashion.