Antique Brooch with a Fancy Light Green Diamond, c. 1830

A Rare Gem

Antique Brooch with a Fancy Light Green Diamond, c. 1830

€ 25,900.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

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

Coloured diamonds possess a fascination all of their own. Not only is every shade of these precious stones subtly different and individual, but large coloured diamonds have also found their way into almost every princely treasury and cabinet of curiosities, as well as the crown jewels of Europe’s ruling houses. The famous “Wittelsbach Blue” was among the greatest treasures of the Bavarian kings. The son of Augustus the Strong of Saxony paid more for the “Dresden Green” than the construction of Moritzburg Palace had cost. No less celebrated is the “Orlov”, a diamond carried by Catherine the Great in her sceptre. The stone displays a delicate bluish-green colour and is fashioned as a rose-cut diamond. At the heart of the present brooch is likewise a bluish-green, Fancy Light Green diamond in a rose cut. Weighing approximately one carat, the diamond reveals a delicate, cool green hue when viewed from the side. Seen from above and in daylight, however, it appears rather blue, partly due to its period foil-backed setting. Its historic cut and ethereal, almost shifting colour make it a truly captivating stone. The diamond is set as the centrepiece of a fully opened flower, surrounded by petals formed of white old-cut diamonds. Additional diamonds in the Peruzzi cut and Old Mine Cut create smaller blossoms and leaves, arranged like a branch stirred by the wind. In total, the brooch contains approximately 8.20 carats of diamonds. The central flower element may be unscrewed and was originally most likely intended to be mounted separately as a hair ornament or another jewel. A concealed loop also allows for the attachment of a pendant. The design, the highly sculptural three-dimensional modelling, the historic diamond cuts and the sophisticated craftsmanship all point to a date of around 1830. We acquired this magnificent jewel from a South German aristocratic collection, where it had been preserved in remarkably fine condition. For comparable naturalistic brooches of the period around 1830, see Brigitte Marquardt, Schmuck. Klassizismus und Biedermeier, 1780–1850, Munich 1983, p. 232; or David Bennet and Daniela Mascetti, Understanding Jewellery, Woodbridge 2010, pp. 88 ff.

Size & Details

A Rare Gem

€ 25,900.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

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A Rare Gem

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