Charming Gold Pendant with Turquoise & Pearls, Great Britain c. 1900

In the years around 1900, there was a fashion for jewellery in Great Britain that initially went unnoticed on the rest of the continent. While Art Nouveau forms dominated in France and Germany, in England people turned to pieces of jewellery that depicted flowers and branches made of gold in a naturalistic form, studded all over with shimmering white pearls. Pearls like these are called "seed pearls", even though they were not cultivated or "seeded", but grew naturally. Their name is derived from the fact that they are the size of seeds. In pieces of jewellery from the early 19th century, these were mostly freshwater pearls made from river mussels, which were found particularly in the clear rivers of Scotland. Towards the end of the century, saltwater pearls from India were mainly used. This pendant belongs to this environment and takes the form of an enchanting blossom. A beautiful turquoise shines at its center, accompanied by numerous pearls. All of the gemstones are set in warm, shimmering yellow gold. This has the typical British fineness of 15 carats, which was only used until 1932. We have added a matching gold chain to the pendant, which came to us from London. For British pearl jewelry in gold, see also David Bennet and Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewellery, London 2010, page 216.

Estimate:$1,102.05

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