Frank Gardner Hale, a nationally-recognized jewelry maker and enamellist, lived and worked in Boston in the early 20th century. His career exemplifies the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which combined the tenants of design reform and social reform. Arts and Crafts proponents cared as much about how an object was made and by whom, as they did about its style. They promoted the honest work of individual craftspeople, like Hale. The work of Hale and his contemporaries was highlighted in the 2018 MFA publication Arts and Crafts Jewelry: Frank Gardner Hale and His Circle, which accompanied the exhibition “Boston Made: Arts and Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork” (Kaplan Gallery, November 17, 2018—January 4, 2020). The offered necklace was prominently featured in both the publication and the exhibition. This extraordinarily long necklace highlights two carved Chinese jades surrounded by Hale’s delicate gold and enamel work. Hale believed that the stone (in this case the jades) should dictate the shape and harmonious style of the setting surrounding it. This remarkable necklace retains its original fabric-covered box, also made and labeled by Hale.

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