Antique Retro Style Gold Bracelet with Engraved Carnelian, Vienna c. 1935

The cherry is not only a delicious fruit, but has also had many meanings since time immemorial: there are Christian interpretations as a symbol of the globe and a symbol of life; its red juice was regarded as an image of the saving blood of Christ. However, the bracelet presented here is dominated by the more contemporary associations that we generally have with cherries: We think of happy childhood days in the sunshine with the carefree game of pinning on pairs of cherries as earrings or spitting the pits of the fruit far and wide in competition. The bracelet from around 1935 features depictions of these highly symbolic fruits engraved in carnelian. The color of the stone, which was already used in antiquity to make precious pieces of jewelry, corresponds to the rich sheen of the delicious fruit. It is not without reason that the name of the stone comes from the Latin word for cornelian cherry, cornus. The four engraved plates each show three cherries and several leaves of the cherry tree in an artistic interplay of symmetry and abstraction in keeping with the times. The four carnelian plates are set in gold. The simple and delicately framed fields with the cherries are joined by wider links that display palmettes and a rich surface treatment that makes the elements shimmer almost softly. The result is a beautiful rhythm and at the same time a harmonious color scheme of gold and reddish brown. The ribbon was made in Vienna, as the hallmarks reveal. Its design language is reminiscent of Biedermeier jewelry creations, yet at the same time it is rooted in its own time: it was thus able to be both modern and draw on the rich tradition of jewelry design. This combination still appeals today.

Estimate:£2,265.1

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