One of the defining design elements of Georgian Era jewellery was the cannetille filigree, which was created around 1790 but became extremely popular in the decade between 1820 and 1830. Extremely fine and detailed, the production of this filigree was time and labour intensive. At the time, however, craftsmanship was cheaper than the precious metal gold, so that large, magnificent designs were produced in many hours of work but with relatively little material. At the same time as the Cannetille, the proverbial golden age of a special gemstone had also dawned: The Imperial Topaz was a favourite gemstone to be set amidst cannetille creations. From modern jewelry, we are almost only familiar with the heavily treated blue topaz, but in the early 19th century, people loved the gemstone in its natural shades of golden brown and pink. These stones came to Europe from the Brazilian mines near Ouro Preto via Portugal and had only been known for a few decades when our brooch was created. Nine of these Imperial topazes are set here, in closed settings over foils which give the gemstones a particularly intense luster. Their color spectrum ranges from delicate to stronger sherry tones, and the center stone features a peach hue. Yet they have been well matched, as the topazes in similar colors have each been juxtaposed with each other in the same cut. In total, the precious gemstones weigh about 22.10 ct. The brooch features a small locket compartment on its back, under which a lock of hair, for example, can be stored. The piece was likely converted to a brooch still in the 19th century - the jewel was probably once worn as the showpiece pendant of a necklace (cf. the last illustration, a fashion illustration from 1827), and even today small catches allow it to be threaded onto a narrow chain or ribbon. This piece of jewellery was once intended as festive evening jewellery, accounted for by the precious materials and elaborate workmanship.