Precious Opal and Diamond Brooch in Silver on Gold, c. 1895

The ability of opal to change with every movement and produce a wide variety of color reflections has been a source of interest to people since ancient times. The ancient Greeks, for example, believed it to be fragments of the shattered solar chariot of Phoibos in order to explain the peculiar light phenomena inside the stone: They were, they said, fragments of the sun's light that had been trapped here forever in a stone. This brooch illustrates this idea directly with its large, particularly high-quality opal. The milky-white stone, a large, flat cabochon from Australia, is illuminated by red, yellow and a few blue-violet lights as if from within. With every movement of the brooch in the light, the large color fields change in intensity and color. Hardly any part of the stone remains permanently colorless, but all parts of the surface are never equally suffused with color. The brooch sets the opal in a frame of diamonds, consisting of larger old European cut diamonds at the four cardinal points, as well as smaller rose cut diamonds. In total, more than one and a half carats of diamonds are set. The rose stones are set on a silver surface, while the larger stones are set in warm red gold. The brooch's undercrown is also made of rose gold, solid and crafted by hand. We discovered this compact but exquisitely decorated brooch in Stuttgart. It is in very good condition and is a great pleasure to look at. An independent appraisal has confirmed the quality of the materials and is enclosed with the brooch.

Estimate:£6,192.34

View all items fromHofer AntikschmuckorJewellery & Gems