Colorful Vintage Ring with Gemstones in Gold, Circa 1955

Alongside the geometric, cool-white diamond jewelry of the Art Deco period, another design language emerged in Germany. The expressive leaf and plant motifs of Art Nouveau—as seen, for example, in jewellery from the Wiener Werkstätte and Theodor Fahrner—gave rise to designs that soon became known by the peculiar name “vegetable jewellery.” Rings, brooches, and bracelets were adorned with tendrils, blossoms, and leaves, among which pearls and colored gemstones stood out like ripe fruit. As a result, these pieces of jewellery sometimes resemble small gardens, rendered in miniature form using precious materials. This playful design language remained popular well into the postwar period. This ring can be seen as an echo of this imaginative genre of jewelry. Crafted from solid 14-karat gold, the ring features a large ring face in the shape of a horizontal oval with a concave center section. Five gemstones, seemingly arranged at random, add splashes of color. These include a diamond in a historic old-cut style, two blue sapphires, a yellow citrine, and an intensely green emerald. The gemstones, which vary in size and cut, stand out from their velvety, matte-finished gold setting like small, precious fruits. The ring was apparently handcrafted in the 1950s. This well-preserved piece of jewellery came to us from a Berlin estate.

Estimate:$1,445.39

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