Déco Dress Clip with Diamonds in Platinum & White Gold, c. 1930

One of the most beautiful and iconic pieces of Art Deco jewellery is the dress clip. What made this new type of brooch so special was that it could be worn not only on the lapel, but anywhere on an outfit—on a belt, a bag, and even in the hair. Often worn as a pair, but also popular individually, they allowed for surprising accents that had not been possible before. This clip is no exception. It has an elongated teardrop shape. At its center sits a step cut diamond weighing approximately 0.42 carats. Forty-nine smaller diamonds in antique, transitional, and octagonal cuts adorn the remaining surface, creating additional points of brilliance. Elegant serrated shadow lines and milgrains make the design appear almost like textile lace. The clip is crafted from white gold, with a platinum face. This gives it a bright, white luster. When they were first introduced, the clips had a flat shape, with surfaces richly set with diamonds. Over the course of the 1930s, increasingly voluminous, geometric shapes came into fashion. Yellow gold also replaced the previously favored white gold and platinum, fully in line with the general Art Deco trend. A final innovation before the upheaval of the Great War, toward the end of the 1930s, involved redesigning the back clasp. Whereas previously a single large plate with a spring mechanism had been used, two interconnected pins were now employed. Armed with all this knowledge, we can date the clip presented here: It gleams white as ice, cool and elegant, and features an airy clip on the back. It was therefore likely created around 1930. For more on the history of the clip, see David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewelry, Woodbridge 2010, pp. 322–325, with numerous illustrations.

Estimate:£2,744.95

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