Antique Diamond Brooch With Enamel in Gold, c. 1870

There is hardly an epoch in the history of jewellery that did not reflect on the forms of the plant world. But how the motifs for flowers and leaves were interpreted, this is peculiar to each era, sometimes even each decade. In the 19th century, for example, styles changed faster than ever before, because the growing prosperity of the middle class as well as technical innovations ensured that a lot of jewellery was produced. Thus, we can also narrow down the date of creation of the present brooch. A first indication of its age are the diamonds, whose old cuts still have a pronounced cushion shape, while later old European cuts are approximately or completely round. The reason for this is that the rich South African diamond deposits were not discovered until the 1860s; before that, diamonds were much rarer. Only the sudden abundance of diamonds slowly led to a round cut and thus the acceptance of significantly more material loss. In comparison, the cushion-shaped old cut is closer to the natural shape of the rough diamond. It is therefore also called "Old Mine Cut", referring to the fact that these diamonds come from the old mines before the discovery of South African ones. But other features, such as the pointed, indented and curved leaves (inspired by Indian ornaments) and the black enamel accents reveal that the brooch has been created in the years around 1870. Not only considering its great age, it has been excellently preserved.

Estimate:£3,742.43

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