Antique Necklace with Red Garnets Set in Gold, c. 1820 & Later

Today, we mainly associate garnet jewelry with the typical stars and blossoms of historicism, set with countless deep red garnet roses in a dark glow. However, in the late 18th and early 19th century, garnet was already one of the most popular gemstones - not as a rose, but as a table cut. Goldsmiths from around 1760 to 1820 loved garnets with a flat table and set them in closed-back settings in front of red-colored metal foils to further enhance their rich colour. People loved intense colors and the garnets corresponded to this fashion. This necklace was created during this period. The garnets are set closed in rose gold and connected to each other in a movable manner. The actual chain is made up of cushion-shaped garnets that are connected to each other with small eyelets. The pendant showpiece is formed by a group of smaller garnets framing a drop-shaped stone. Four further pendants are attached, which increase in size towards the center so that a cascade of fiery red seems to cascade down from the necklace. These suspensions were all created at the same time, but were only added to the rivière necklace later, so that it is now a mariage We were able to discover the piece of jewellery as it is in the south of England. It was probably also made there. For the history of garnet jewelry in the 18th century, see Ginny Redington Dawas/Olivia Collings: Georgian Jewelry 1714-1830, Woodbridge 2007, pp. 40-41.

Estimate:$4,459.43

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