For the ball season

A superb diamond & platinum tiara, Hanau & Hamburg, ca. 1910

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

When in autumn, after the summer, the ball season finally begins again, when splendid receptions are announced or big celebrated, round birthdays, then not only the wardrobe, but also the jewellery should be appropriate and ready. For some occasions a beautiful necklace and an elegant ring may be sufficient. But for the really big celebration alone a tiara gives appropriate size and elegance. This observation or rule does not apply only today. Earlier generations were far more precise, and perhaps more confident, in matters of jewellery, and understood how to accentuate the subtle differences of occasions by equally subtle gradations of the jewellery worn. It is certainly no coincidence that the tiara experienced its heyday in the heyday of the so-called Belle Époque. The European ball culture was at its peak in the years around 1900. It was not only in the monarchies of Europe that the tiaras at this time virtually shone for all they were worth - in every state and every city, whether republic, kingdom or principality, there was no lady who would have attended a representative festival "topless". A particularly beautiful piece from this period is presented here. The tiara, created in the years around 1910, not only impresses with its splendid decoration and first-class workmanship, but also with its traceable origin in detail. We see a rich design in forms that do not deny their Art Nouveau origins. Large arches and fluttering bands made entirely of platinum stagger like waves toward the center of the tiara. A large old-cut diamond of around 1.25 carats shines in the centre of the piece. Nearly 90 more sparkling diamonds occupy every conceivable surface of the platinum. The finest mille-handle ornaments, along with elegant engravings, further enliven the play of light and shadow. It is a celebration of light that the combination of diamond and platinum unleashes here. As a typical piece of jewellery of the early 20th century, the tiara can be worn not only in the hair, but in two different ways. As a tiara, a silver bail that can be easily fastened in the hair holds the platinum work. A small screw and two locks hold the frame and the front together. However, if the work is detached from the bail with the original screwdriver, the obverse can also be worn as a bracelet. Thus the piece offers even more possibilities to shine with it. According to the gold-stamped original box lined with velvet and silk, the tiara was first sold at the traditional Hamburg jeweler Brahmfeld & Gutruf. Its hallmark also shows that it had previously been made in the Hanau jewellery manufactory of Otto Klein & Co. Since the latter was not founded until 1909, but there was no demand for tiaras for quite a while during the inflationary period after 1918, at least in Germany, the work can be dated very precisely to the years around 1910, in addition to stylistic and technical reasons. By the 1920s at the latest, the jewellery manufactory of Otto Klein & Co. was one of the most successful in Germany. At the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, the company was awarded a gold medal. An essential characteristic of Otto Klein's jewels, apart from the always highest quality of the materials, is their almost always given changeability. Almost all of Klein's jewels can be worn in different ways, just like this tiara. Christianne Weber: Art Deco Jewellery. Die internationale Schmuckszene der 20er und 30er Jahre, Munich 2000, p. 224, states that the quality of Klein's work corresponds to that of Cartier's jewels of the same period. The diadem came to us in the Rhineland. It is in first-class condition and is an exceptional object, not only because of its double wearability. We also liked its design very much, because despite all its splendour it preserves an almost hanseatic understatement. We are very pleased to be able to offer it to you here.

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The jeweller Brahmfeld & Gutruf was founded in 1743 by the gold and silversmith Hinrich Brahmfeld in Hamburg and is considered to be the oldest German jewellery company still in existence. Kings, tsars, pop stars and the greats of German and especially Hamburg society have been in and out of the house ever since. As early as 1750, Brahmfeld supplied the Russian Tsar, but out of Hanseatic merchant pride, the entrepreneurial family always refused to become a royal purveyor to the court. Today, the house resides on Neuer Wall in Hamburg. The jewellery manufactory of Otto Klein & Co was founded in Hanau in 1909 as a "manufacturer of fine jewels, white jewels and gold work". In 1937, the company was awarded a gold medal at the Paris World's Fair, and they also participated in the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. The company still exists today and supplies, among others, the Munich jeweller Hemmerle.

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Size & Details

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You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

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For the ball season

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