Re. the faux mandarin court necklace in the sign, the hole in the tabular bead is slotted for a tape and the drop has a early cap of the type seen on early drops. Is it your thought the necklace was made sometime between 1911 and the 1940s when the photo was taken or before 1911? My Chinese history is rusty; do you know why a faux mandarin court necklace (MCN) would have been made in either period? I wouldn't have thought there was much interest in them then and they are a relatively recent invention. Do you know how faux MCN were used before 1911 and from 1911-40s?

I've looked (not extensively) at old photos of theater and opera costumes (not enough to make me want to post this, but now that you mention it..), I've not run across any costumes with MCN or even many glass beads or necklaces. From my college era experience helping costume a student theater production, I'd be surprised glass would fare well with the wear and tear costumes endure. And, most of the headdresses from this period, like the one I own, seem to have pompons and fake pearls, but nothing I've noticed that look like Peking glass beads.

None of the above is expert commentary, just observations from looking at photos. Any facts or opinions are welcome.