Magnificent Long Belle Époque Diamond Earrings, c. 1915

In the years shortly before 1890, there was a true revolution in the field of jewellery. Throughout Europe, the excess of historicism in form and color no longer seemed in keeping with the times. Increasing mechanization, including in jewelry production, had repeated the same forms over and over again until they had become interchangeable and arbitrary. Jewellers feared for their existence: jewelry sales declined rapidly and there was no new fashion in sight. At the beginning of the new decade, the crisis was over. White jewels were the solution, and they quickly caught on. Instead of many pieces of jewellery that were difficult to combine, ladies now concentrated on a few, but all the more high-quality objects. They were united by their common color scheme: white diamonds and pearls shone in settings made of silver, later platinum and white gold. The designs are delicate and completely restrained in their formal language. Light geometric shapes suddenly dominated the scene, which until recently had been populated by large numbers of cherubs and historicizing elements. These earrings are typical of this new fashion and combine diamonds with platinum to create a simple, timeless and yet incredibly enchanting design. They are presented as elegant, movable pendulums, at the end of which a beautiful diamond sparkles in a teardrop-shaped platinum frame. Each of these stones weighs just under one carat, and together with the small diamonds, a total of around 2.50 carats of diamonds have been set. A practical gold leverback makes the earrings wearable. The pair is otherwise made from solid platinum. The beautiful pair came to us from Berlin-Charlottenburg and comes with a detailed appraisal.

Estimate:$10,334.55

View all items fromHofer AntikschmuckorJewelry & Gems