Luxurious Art Deco Pendant/Brooch with Star Sapphire & Diamonds, c. 1940

The jewel here lets us see infinity. A curtain is pulled aside and a supernatural apparition is revealed. Like a supernova, a glistening star, the design explodes in light, sky blue and starry white. Occupying the center of the piece is a star sapphire in bright blue. Like the sky on a summer day, with light clouds here and there, the large, untreated and unheated stone shimmers before our eyes. A star shines in its center and wanders across the surface of the tall cabochon. Around the sapphire are bands of diamonds and platinum. To the left, they enclose the stone like several layers of puffed cloth. Like cloth pulled aside, the gemstone is presented here. From below, the diamonds seem to lift the sapphire like a shooting star. And finally, to the right, individual diamonds are arranged on delicate platinum bars in such a way that it seems like a view of the Milky Way. The design, full of verve and dynamism, is realized with the greatest finesse in craftsmanship. At the same time, the setting is precious: in addition to the untreated sapphire, 14.72 carats of diamonds have been worked into this piece, including a three-quarter carat and over 170 other diamonds, most of them in the old European cut. The jewel can be worn as a brooch and as a pendant. Its shape, its workmanship and the details of the cuts of the diamonds show that it was created in the years around 1940. Art Deco was in full bloom at the time and sculpted designs with details reminiscent of lengths of fabric, known as "drapery jewellery", were a particular fashion. An independent certificate has confirmed the quality of the materials. It is enclosed with the piece of jewellery, as is the wide platinum necklace shown, which was probably created at the same time.

Estimate:£33,034.33

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