Exquisite Art Nouveau Platinum Necklace with Diamonds & Pearl, c. 1905

This delicate necklace shines bright and white in the light of diamonds, a pearl and precious platinum. Delicate, organically inspired curves form a frame for the sparkling diamonds. A semi-circular shape is superimposed on a triangle standing on its apex. A diamond of around 0.25 ct shines in the center of the design. At the bottom, at the tip of the triangle, a shimmering pearl is suspended beneath two small diamonds. This delicate necklace was created shortly after 1900. Jewelry all in white, with diamonds in platinum, was the standard for high-quality jewels at the time. However, a look at the catalogs of contemporary jewelers such as Kind & Sons from Philadelphia or Bansse from Paris shows that the pieces of jewellery were not usually made entirely of platinum, but that the white metal was only used as a showpiece on a gold base. On the one hand, there were technical reasons for this, as platinum was still relatively new at the time and more difficult to work with than gold. On the other hand, the metal was significantly more expensive than gold shortly after 1900. The fact that this necklace is therefore made entirely from platinum shows the special quality of the piece. Jewelry made entirely of platinum did not become common until the 1920s. However, the necklace is not only characterized by its materials. Its design is also wonderful; it could not be a more beautiful example of the modern linear Art Nouveau style of the time. The elegant lines are drawn with a light hand, and triangular areas for the diamonds are typically formed at the tips of the arches. The fact that the design retains a clear symmetry despite its dynamism suggests that it was created in Central Europe rather than in France. We discovered this beautiful piece of jewellery in Rhineland-Palatinate. We have renewed the chain, which is also made of platinum.

Estimate:£3,219.33

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