Antique Necklace with Diamonds Set in Silver on Gold, Vienna c. 1915

The pieces of jewellery from the early years of the 20th century are strikingly delicate and finely crafted. They were intended to harmonize with the body and reveal their beauty in the details. As Hermann Barth aptly put it in 1903 in Das Geschmeide: "Jewellery must not only be adapted to the human form in a meaningful way, but must also show it to its best advantage, highlighting certain features of the form in the right light. Otherwise it cannot lay claim to the name of jewellery." This necklace is also designed with this idea in mind. All parts are connected to each other in a movable way and thus adapt perfectly to the gentle line of the décolleté. From the fan-shaped decorative element, which leads to the fine chain, to the large pendulum with a drop-shaped end, the work is lovingly and precisely crafted. Twelve old and octagonal-cut diamonds lend this area a cool, subtle sparkle. This luxurious necklace was created in Vienna around 1915. However, its style, characteristic of the time, is of cosmopolitan elegance: its first owner would have been equally at home in the salons of the major western cities - towards the end of the Belle Époque, in that transitional period before the triumph of the angular-geometric Art Déco. The pendant is made of gold and covered with a layer of silver; the chain is made of white gold and was renewed more recently.

Estimate:£1,945.19

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