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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Jewelry & Gems / Antique Brooch with Cypher „A“ in Diamonds on Blue Enamel, c. 1820
In the past, precious gold boxes, brooches and rings were very common gifts from ruling princes to loyal subjects who had distinguished themselves through special service and loyalty. As a rule, they bore the cypher of the member of the ruling dynasty who bestowed the gift. This brooch was created as such a gift. It shows the letter "A" made of diamonds against a background of royal blue enamel. Twelve diamonds in a cushion-shaped old mine cut surround the oval field. They are set a jour in silver. A total of c. 4.45 ct of diamonds are gathered together. Jewelry with deep blue enamel and diamonds first emerged in London in the 1770s. A few commissions from the royal family, which quickly became known to the public, were enough and a new fashion was born: rings and brooches in Royal Blue Enamel were soon all the rage, even in Paris. Here they were called "bagues de firmament", or sky rings. In addition to diamond initials, there are also examples with small bouquets of flowers or diamond urns on the enamel. Perhaps precisely because of their origins in an aristocratic context, pieces of jewellery with blue enamel and diamonds remained in demand even after the French Revolution and the change in fashion towards classicism in the monarchies that continued to exist. They continued to be worn well into the 19th century. In the 1840s, jewellery with blue enamel became very fashionable again, and at the end of the 19th century, corresponding pieces were once again created. Based on the cut of the diamonds and their open back settings, this brooch was created in the early 19th century. This period coincided with the reign of the then Russian Tsar Alexander I. Alexander was crowned Tsar in 1801 and remained on the throne in St. Petersburg until 1825. Various comparable gift rings and brooches with the tsar's monogram have survived, also in blue enamel and set with diamonds: this fashion had also arrived at the Russian tsar's court. It is possible that this piece of jewellery was also created as a gift from the tsar. Originally, the showpiece of the brooch was probably a ring, as suggested by the curvature of the brooch across the letter. It is made of gold on the back; the safety chain and pin were added later. The brooch, with the antique case from Leipzig, came to us from Hamburg.
Estimate:$16,755.7
To the auctionView all items fromHofer AntikschmuckorJewelry & Gems
Estimate:
$16,755.7
KAIJA AARIKKA (FINLAND, 1929-2014). Armband, silver, Finland, 1900-talets
10/06/2026
$111.51
Est: $99.61
OCT 8 | 3:00 PM
OCT 17 | 10:00 PM
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$2,250.45
HÄNGE, 18K VITGULD & LITEN VIT STEN, TOTALT CIRKA 0,4 GRAM.
10/06/2026
$30
Est: $59.76
HALSKEDJA MED HÄNGE, 15K GULD, HALVPÄRLOR & TURKOSER, 1900-TALETS
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$350.04
Est: $398.45
HÄNGE MED KEDJA, 18 K guld med korsslipad sten, Guldvaruhuset, Stockholm, 1955.
10/06/2026
$401.04
Est: $398.45
OCT 8 | 3:00 PM
