Convertible Antique Tiara With Diamonds in Silver, c. 1880

lot/convertible antique tiara with diamonds in silver c 1880 tAnwsxH 620357896 / For sale

lot/convertible antique tiara with diamonds in silver c 1880 tAnwsxH 620357896

For salePrice history

lot/convertible antique tiara with diamonds in silver c 1880 tAnwsxH 620357896

For salePrice history

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Convertible Antique Tiara With Diamonds in Silver, c. 1880

"The rulers wear crowns and no longer tiaras. Tiaras are worn exclusively by the female sex, an attribute of beauty and luxury. And though the aristocrats of birth would like to think themselves alone entitled to wear this most effective of ornaments, they cannot prevent every millionairess from weaving a fortune into her hair in this way at will. Its flattering effect is too tempting for any worldly lady who wishes to shine in the salons to pass it up." Among the jewels of the goldsmith's art is the tiara. For the first time in the last third of the 19th century, it was an adornment not only for aristocrats, but also for the bourgeoisie, which had achieved wealth and prestige, as the above quotation from 1906 notes. It is to this popularization of the tiara that we owe all the wonderful variations of this type of jewelry: no longer strictly bound to historical patterns, but committed solely to beauty, a wide variety of designs with contemporary influence were able to emerge. The tiara here shows a naturalistically inspired design with sculpted wild roses and fine leaves, between which individually set diamonds rise up like flower heads. We know similar flowers from the naturalistic corsage brooches of the years around 1880, which show blossoms and bouquets. In total, 412 diamonds of about 18.18 ct have been gathered here, formed in rose cuts and old mine cuts. The stones are set in silver on a reddish gold base, typical of the time. However, all this luxury is not designed without a practical thought, because with a few simple steps the tiara can be transformed into a necklace! As such, it can be worn with either all three roses or just the largest rose, the length being variable. The smaller roses can also be turned into earrings, the large one into a brooch. This ensures that the precious diamonds can be worn as often as possible. And as a necklace, the piece of jewellery was also right on the cutting edge of fashion: the towering elements of the diadem become falling fringes, as were so popular in necklaces of the time around 1880. According to its previous owners, the tiara originally belonged to a lady from the Nobel family of Swedish industrialists, whose most famous member was Alfred Nobel. It is beautifully preserved and offers many wearing possibilities outside of its function as a tiara. Since it reached us without its original frame, we had a suitable frame added in our workshop.

Estimate:$79,518.95

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