Antique Victorian Art Nouveau pendant. Diamonds, turquoise, platinum and 14k gold. Made circa 1890-1905.
Measurements:
1 3/4 inches (4.5cm) across. Weighs 8.4 grams.
Description :
Typical of the greatest imaginations of the late 19th century, this pendant combines metals and gems in a somewhat unexpected combination that works beautifully. Diamonds and turquoise are set in platinum, considered the best way to show off the gems. The back is a layer of gold. Top and bottom of this subtly designed pendant are lines of diamonds - smaller alongside larger, the bottom pair connected via loops that allow them to move independently of the rest of the pendant. Beneath the upper pair of diamonds, a pair of wings flares out, consisting of narrowing and flaring borders, set with diamonds in parts and containing bowing branches of diamond foliage and turquoise flowers in an openwork, delicate design. The ribbon-like borders cascade and overlap and morph into the 'body' of the pendant with similar turquoise and diamonds in openwork settings, playing with positive and negative shapes. The diamonds are rose cuts. The turquoise are uniformly a lovely blue, but some of them have included the natural striations of the stone, adding to an organic appearance. There is a subtle hint of wings flaring above a body symbolically represented. At the same time, the details are strongly botantical in theme with the diamond leaf openwork patterns and the turquoise, exploiting the natural striations of the gem, forming buds or flowers. This pendant embodies everything great about Art Nouveau : fabulously elegant, fine, elongated, whiplash forms, somewhat zoomorphic in concept, a sense of delicate movement, the interest in and combination of attractive gems with valuable gems and materials.
Marks:
As is to be expected of antique jewelry, there are no hallmarks. We acid tested the gold to ensure metal purity.
Condition:
Good with minute wear. No damage visible to the eye or even with a loupe, but the hugely enlarged pictures show me a tiny spot of solder, mentioned only for the sake of total accuracy. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer.
