Elegant Bar Brooch With Natural Pearl & Diamonds in Gold & Platinum, c. 1925

"Which was the first precious stone that fascinated man? Possibly the pearl, in that its beauty was at once manifest when the mollusc was opened, for it needed neither to be cut nor polished, and its discovery was probably incidental to search for food." (Francis Stopford, The Romance of the Jewel, London 1920, p. 2.) The pearl and the diamond were long equals in jewellery history, for until the early 20th century, each pearl had to be individually dived for. The vast majority of oysters did not bear pearls - mother-of-pearl buttons were then cut from their shells. But if an oyster contained a pearl, the joy was all the greater, because these were extremely precious due to their rarity. Especially beautiful, large pearls were rarely found. Often these were then chosen as the centerpieces of fine jewellery. A large natural pearl in bouton form is the heart of this bar brooch. The pearl is silvery, slightly bluish in colour and shows an ethereal rosy lustre. A wreath of small diamonds in platinum settings provides a dignified setting for this beautiful product of nature. To the left and right, more diamonds stretch across the pin, which finally ends in sleek, polished gold. The cuts of the diamonds and the geometric setting of the larger diamonds, in combination with the workmanship of the precious metals, reveal that the brooch was probably created in the 1920s. At that time, the first cultured pearls were already on the market; thus, the use of a beautiful natural pearl represented all the more luxury. Because of its bouton shape and fine, unusual colour, it was probably difficult to match to a necklace, and so this lucky find by a pearl diver was allowed to become the highlight of this classic brooch.

Estimate:$2,687.66

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