Diamond and Gold Bracelet by Henry Allerdings, Hamburg, c. 1920s

The Art Déco era in Germany not only produced white, geometric jewels, but also pieces whose imaginative and sometimes bizarre shapes were inspired by Expressionism. This bracelet is just such a piece. The bracelet shows a design language that enjoyed great popularity in Germany from the 1920s until the middle of the century. Here, however, the lines are still clearly oriented towards Expressionism, with jagged, dynamic lines and wildly proliferating plant forms. Such bizarre, abstracted natural forms can be found not only in the jewellery of those years, but in all the arts: compare, for example, the grilles and decorative paintings of the Renaissance Theater in Berlin, rebuilt in 1926/28, or the Grassi Museum in Leipzig, 1926/27. Here, the plant motifs are set on oval gold links. Individually shaped leaf ornaments frame a small diamond in each case. The highlight of the bracelet is a trio of beautiful old-cut diamonds. These are visually enlarged by delicate, wide, concave frames. The centre is also emphasised by the use of yellow gold, whereas the rest of the band is made of a slightly reddish gold alloy. In total, the pieces of jewellery present over two carats of diamonds in various historical cuts. The hallmark confirms that the handcrafted bracelet was created in the Henry Allerdings goldsmiths in Hamburg. We discovered the well-preserved piece here in Berlin.

Estimate:£4,493.48

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