Elegant Art Nouveau Brooch with Pearl and Garnet Doublet in Gold, c. 1900

Just as the first flowers sprout from the still cold ground after a long winter, Art Nouveau in the years around 1900 wanted to rouse the arts from their deep slumber. Old styles had been revived throughout the 19th century: The Gothic of the Middle Ages, the heavy opulence of the Baroque, even the gold jewelry of the ancient Romans. Now nature itself was to offer artists a fresh, new perspective. This brooch was also created in the course of this development. It is designed as a branch whose leaves are artfully draped in front of an asymmetrical frame of elegant curves. The surface of the gold work is matt and richly decorated with details. A small pearl shines in the center as a highlight on one of the leaves, and a shining green point of light is pendant-mounted at the bottom. What is unusual about this gemstone is that it is a garnet-glass doublet in the color of emerald, which is completely unusual today but was widely used at the time. A wafer-thin slice of garnet is stuck to a body of green glass, and the two are then faceted together. The result is a gemstone that has a high refraction due to the garnet and therefore sparkles much richer than glass. The surface is also harder and better protected against scratches. This type of elaborately produced artificial stone can be seen again and again in jewellery from around 1900. A few years later, after the invention of corundum synthesis by Auguste Verneuil, it fell out of fashion again. The brooch is in very good condition. It is light and very typical of the period. We discovered it in the Netherlands, where it was subsequently provided with a modern gold hallmark in recent years.

Estimate:£671.04

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