Composed of a uniform series of gothic quatrefoil links echoing those that adorn the centre of the cathedrals rose windows, between curb connecting links, embellished at twelve regular intervals with an individual 'gargoyle' from the famous gallery of chimeras that guard the cathedral's upper ramparts, each signed Wiese, circa 1890, French assay marks for gold, maker's mark for Louis Wiese.



Because Jules Wiese (1818 -1890) and his son Louis (1852 - 1923) were devout revivalists. Their gold and silver chasing is instantly recognisable in both its quality and for it being almost wholly in the Medieval and Renaissance style. Their jewels were not only highly admired in their time, but embellish collections in The British Museum, The V&A, MAD Paris and many more around the world today. 



Whilst Notre Dame was built between 1163 and 1250, after centuries of neglect and degeneration, in 1843, it was delivered into the hands of architects and passionate Revivalists Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc & Jean-Baptiste Lassus for what turned out to be a very 19th Century reinterpretation of its Gothic beginnings. In doing so, the dilapidated Gothic cathedral became one of the world's most famous Neo-gothic edifices. 



The "gargoyles" of Notre Dame are so well known they have their own names ("Stygge","Le Rongeur" etc.) and have inspired countless artists and writers for generations - including the twelve faithfully represented on this necklace. Yet it is between 1843 and 1864, that the beloved ghouls as we know them today began their lofty vigil over Paris.



Both Wiese and de-Viollet believed in a revival that absorbed an aesthetic and reinterpreted it rather than strictly copying original sources. Their art shows us that in the hands of those skilled and creative enough, far from soulless copies, revivals can have a life and artistic merit of their own.