Antique Brooch with Rubies, Diamonds & "Antillean Pearl", Paris c. 1910

Around 1900, Paris was the beating heart of Art Nouveau, the art movement that took nature as its model and transformed it into curved lines, floral ornaments and a new, sensual elegance. The French capital was the laboratory of an aesthetic that left everything behind and sought to merge art and life. The Parisian jewelry of this period in particular is still considered the epitome of this new art today. Lalique, Vever and Fouquet shaped a new formal language in which gold and precious stones became poetic forms. The ladies of the Belle Époque wore their pieces of jewellery not only as a status symbol, but also as an expression of a new, modern self-confidence. This graceful brooch also dates from this glamorous era. Its design is a floral, softly curved composition of warmly shimmering gold, whose lines are inspired by the organic forms of nature, a typical motif of Parisian Art Nouveau. A red ruby sparkles in the center of each of the two flowers, while small diamond roses make platinum leaves sparkle. An Antillean pearl is attached to the lower end of the design, which appears like a shimmering flower in its setting. The term "Antillean pearl" was used in the jewelry trade at the turn of the century to describe pearls that were so-called blisters, i.e. mother-of-pearl sections cut from the shell, but which had the lustre and shine of real pearls. The hallmarking on the brooch shows that it was made in Paris. For dating, see, for example, the catalog of the Bansse company from Paris from 1910, which can be viewed online at this point. We also reproduce a page from the catalog, which shows very similar brooches made of gold with platinum and ruby trimming.

Estimate:$1,336.32

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