Elegant Antique Brooch with Natural Pearls in Gold, c. 1900

This shiny gold brooch shows a motif that we encounter again and again in jewelry: The crescent moon. In its setting, however, the brooch conjures up much older stories that have to do with the origin of the pearl. According to Pliny, the pearl is formed when the shells rise to the surface of the sea to receive dewdrops in the early morning. These alone would then become pearls, which is why they are more closely related to the sky than to the sea in which they are found. This belief was still held by many in the early modern period: "There are various opinions among scholars about the origin and growth of these pearls / in that many hold with the old Plinio that they are generated from the dew / that drips into the opening shells" (from: Valentini: Museum Museorum, 1704). It therefore seems fitting that the delicately curved celestial body is set with natural oriental pearls. Shimmering, they are reminiscent of early morning dewdrops. The result is a beautiful piece of jewellery that tells of ancient legends in the smallest of spaces. We date the brooch to around 1900 and for comparison we have reproduced a page from a 1904 catalog of B. & H. B. Kent, Diamond Merchants and Jewelers from Toronto. It can also be viewed online and offered numerous variations on this theme to interested customers. Browse through the pages, it is exciting to see how many different and yet similar versions of this design idea were available at the time. We found this fine piece of jewellery in London. It was probably also created in England.

Estimate:$1,448.61

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