Mayoress' chain
A photograph of Esther Venables, taken for the occasion of the Mayoress's Chain being publicly presented to her by Miss E. J. Brace - Chairman of the Ladies Committee, was presented to the parlour by Cllr. Fred Tunley and Mrs. Irene Tunley who, during their year in 1982 office saw the original picture in the Walsall Spiritualists Church, where it still remains.
In the Mayor's Parlour is a photograph of the Mayoress in 1913, Esther Venables. The picture was.
John and Esther Venables were Mayor and Mayoress of Walsall for two years, 1911 and 1912. It was during this period that a group of women decided that the Mayoress should have a chain of office.
The chain is engraved:
"This chain was presented by the Women of Walsall to the Corporation for the official use of the Mayoress for the time being. Esther Venables, Mayoress Eileen Jane Brace, Chairman of the Presentation Committee John Venables, Mayor Herbert Lee, Town Clerk"
The chain is 18ct gold made up of ten Staffordshire knots, eighteen red enamelled "W" with crown and nine crowned hearts and centrepiece of castle and mace motif with bear engraved 1912 - 1913 in blue enamel. Additional grace is lent to the front part of the Chain by festoons of light chain.
Two centre drop pendants are attached to the motif:
The first pendant is red enamel and rose diamond crown over rose diamond G v R initials and 18ct gold decorative surround.
The second pendant shows the Walsall Coat of Arms in blue, red and green enamel with decorative gold surround set with seventeen diamonds, fourteen rubies and twelve sapphires.
The weight of chain and pendants is 140 grams. It was handmade by craftsmen employed by T. and J. Bragg, an old established manufacturing jeweller of Birmingham. The style is Italian Cinque-Cento which is appropriate to an ancient Borough like Walsall.