"Retro" ring with diamonds & rubies in red gold, circa 1940

The 1940s saw the emergence of a new jewellery fashions known today as the retro style. After the austere, cool designs of the pre-war period, people were now looking for warmer tones, generous shapes and expansive volumes. Red gold in particular became the preferred alloy of this era, its rich shimmer perfectly fitting the fashion of the years. One impressive example is this voluminous ring, created around 1940, whose design plays with powerful geometry and refined elegance at the same time: four sparkling diamonds sit in the center of a gently curved circular segment made of platinum. Two bright red baguette-cut synthetic rubies flank the diamond band on the left and right. Since the beginning of the 20th century, synthetic stones had found their place in the workshops of goldsmiths. They made it possible to use intense colors that could hardly be found in natural stones in comparable quality and size. Especially in the retro style, synthetic rubies were often used on an equal footing with diamonds - as a conscious gesture for color and the technical progress of modernity. The bold rose gold frames all of this in a generous setting that emphasizes the sculptural nature of the ring. The result is a piece of jewellery that cannot be overlooked: a typical ring of its time that carries the degree of belief in progress that makes the retro style so unmistakable. The unique piece came to us from Hamburg.

Estimate:$1,772.62

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