Elegant Garland Style Pendant with Diamonds & Rubies, Vienna, c. 1910

Sparkling diamond tendrils, glowing points of white light: This piece of jewellery radiates brilliance and beauty, evoking a joyful, lighthearted mood. It dates from an era of celebrations, balls, and revelry. Jewellery from the Belle Époque, the “beautiful era,” reflects the optimistic and carefree joy in luxury that characterized the final years before World War I. The pieces of jewellery shone in bright white, crafted from platinum, silver, and diamonds, sometimes accented by carefully selected colored gemstones. Elements of historical forms were combined with delicate nets, garlands, and blossoms, creating a distinctive design language that has become known in the English-speaking world as the “Garland Style.” The piece presented here speaks this language. It is designed as a staggered sequence of concentric elements. At its center is a brilliant, warm-toned diamond in a cushion-shaped “Old European Cut.” Weighing 1.45 ct, the stone has only minor inclusions and exhibits very good brilliance. It is framed by a vibrant pink-red band of sparkling rubies, accompanied by six smaller old-cut diamonds. On the outer edge, a vine of laurel leaves and yet more sparkling Old European-cut diamonds borders the pendant. The cutting technique used for the rubies is called “calibrated.” Gemstones had already been cut in this manner as early as the 19th century, though primarily turquoise or coral was used for this purpose. It was not until the turn of the century that precious colored gemstones also began to be cut using this technique, most notably rubies, sapphires, and emeralds: Here, natural rubies are set alongside synthetic rubies, which were a complete novelty at the time: In the early years of ruby synthesis—which was not discovered until 1902—it was not yet possible to distinguish natural stones from synthetic ones. The fact that the rubies here are set in calibrated cuts, along with the piece’s characteristic design language, helps us date the work to the early years of the new century. The pendant bears hallmarks on its edge, which confirm that it was made in Vienna in the years prior to 1922. We have paired the pendant with a newly crafted platinum chain. It is also accompanied by the appraised report from Vienna shown here, detailing its materials. On the use of calibrated gemstones, see David Bennet and Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewelry, Woodbridge 2010, pp. 265ff.

Estimate:£7,627.88

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