Magnificent vintage insect brooch made of gold and precious stones, Salzburg circa 1985

Dragonfly dance

Magnificent vintage insect brooch made of gold and precious stones, Salzburg circa 1985

€ 7,890.00 ^*

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!

Pieces of jewellery in the shape of insects first enjoyed great popularity in the second half of the 19th century. They were often elaborately crafted and therefore also suitable for festive evening parties. The Berlin ladies' journal Der Bazar, for example, recommended jeweled butterflies for elegant dinners in the summer season of 1888. But it wasn't just butterflies that adorned the ladies of the time; beetles made of gemstones, golden bees, precious flies and even spiders with diamond trimmings can be found again and again in the jewellery catalogs of those years. This dragonfly brooch is a splendid example of how this preference for insect motifs continued into the later 20th century. This extraordinary piece of jewellery is made entirely of gold, diamonds and rare colored stones and impresses with its magnificent appearance as well as the delicacy of its design. The dragonfly's wings consist of four large rutile quartz crystals, whose mysterious inclusions in the form of copper-colored threads shimmer vividly in the light. Small diamonds in white gold settings accompany these stones and emphasize their transparent luminosity. The body of the animal is formed by five beautiful sunstones, a rare variety of moonstone that is mainly found in this form in Oregon in the USA. The stones have been cut into cabochons and arranged in a graduated pattern, giving the dragonfly's body a particularly lively appearance. The head is formed by a large green tourmaline, also cut as a cabochon. Small brilliant-cut diamonds form the eyes and, together with a teardrop-shaped ruby, adorn the animal's delicate antennae. The dragonfly's body, antennae and legs have been crafted with great attention to detail. All gemstones are set in 18-karat gold. A small maker's mark on the back and gold stamps in the shape of an elephant's head allow the brooch to be traced with certainty to Salzburg, where it was created around 1985. This exceptional brooch came to us from a high-ranking collection in Stuttgart.

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Sunstones owe their name to a special optical effect. Fine inclusions of hematite, goethite or copper reflect the light inside the stone and create a warm, glittering shimmer. This phenomenon is known as aventurescence and makes the stone almost glow from within, depending on the incidence of light. The colors of sunstones range from light champagne to apricot and orange to reddish brown. Significant locations are found in India, Norway, Tanzania and the USA. The deposits in the US state of Oregon have become particularly well known, as copper-bearing sunstones with a particularly intense sparkle are found there. Sunstones were often used in jewellery as early as the 19th century, but they became particularly popular in the 1950s and 1960s. In contrast to many classic gemstones, the appeal of sunstones is less due to their strong brilliance and more due to their lively play of light. It is precisely this calm, warm radiance that makes it a special and unmistakable gemstone to this day.

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Size & Details

Dragonfly dance

€ 7,890.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

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.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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Dragonfly dance

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