Magnificent brooch with 6.06 ct old-cut diamonds in silver on gold, circa 1900

"Diamonds sparkled everywhere. On snow-white shirts and full busts, on powdered necks, bare arms and ungloved fingers. They crowned the ebony hair of stately matrons and sparkled between the curled and braided hair of young women. They shone on the straps and necklines of dresses and wound snake-like around plump wrists..." (From the serialized novel "The Countess Pharamond", London Society, April 1892, p. 336.) The Belle Époque, the splendour-loving period between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the First World War, elevated diamond jewelry in the non-color white to the supreme discipline of jewellery. It was worn to big evening events, such as balls or the opera. In the new electric light, diamonds sparkled like never before. They were mostly set in jewels in the Garland style, inspired by the time of Marie Antoinette: like the diamonds themselves, a reference to power, purchasing power and social influence. This brooch is one such jewel. A bow crowns the central element with swinging diamonds and the eponymous garlands. With a total of around 6.06 ct, the brooch is richly set with diamonds, which are mounted in silver on gold, typical of the period. The largest alone weighs approx. 1.49 ct with a fine white color, pronounced fire and only small inclusions that are not visible to the naked eye. In its day, the brooch would have been worn as a corsage ornament, centered on the neckline of a cut-out ball gown. Due to the so-called S-shape of the corsets of the time, which pushed the waist slightly backwards, the lower part of the brooch will not have rested completely flat on the neckline but could swing slightly; the lower parts of the brooch are therefore articulated and sparkle with fire and brilliance when in motion. We discovered this beautiful and very well-preserved brooch in London.

Estimate:£15,272.75

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