How old is this pearl ? Play again !

[CLICLASP]

So you said:

...looks to be either enamel, jet or onyx, me thinks enamel though and gold, it looks possibly dated victorian maybe they had a knack for replicating their fanciful Version of stuff...

--
...it looks a little Italian to me--maybe it is the shape of the stations. Not sure the dark material is onyx, but maybe enamel? The whole thing looks weighty...

--
Congratulations ! :
Made of gold, silver, rosecut diamonds , pearls and... black enamel.
French designer Simon Petiteau, jeweler Pierre Caillot, made 1825-1838
composed of necklace, pendant, brooch, earrings.

that's what Cailtin teaches us about this century :

During the 19th century all known sources of pearls were harvested relentlessly by collectors and traders.

By the time photographs of royals and their friends became a popular way to display wealth, the entire European population of lords and ladies was awash with pearls, not just the queen and her direct kin. Maybe it was just for the sake of the photograph to wear all one's pearls at once, but it showed that these pearls are so numerous that some of them must have been acquired over centuries, been well cared for, and passed down from generation to generation, though many may have been recent purchases.

The end of the 19th century was also the end of the ancient pearl trade. There would be few if any more natural pearls as the world had always known them.

to be continued

 

[CLICLASP]

Next play is : Who wore these earrings

 

[CLICLASP]

So I see, you miss the matched tiara for identification

 

[jerin]

This tiara is from the French Crown jewels, was auctioned along with the other crown jewels in 1887 and was bought by a german jeweller who in his turn sold it to the family of the Thurn and Taxis. It has been sold a century later to the Association des Amis du Mus?e du Louvre. Empress Eug?nie used to wear it. Winterhalter did a lovely painting where she can be seen wearing this beautiful diadem.

 

[barbie biggs]

So I see, you miss the matched tiara for identification

Inge:
I'm totally impressed. Are you really into history? Or is this a painting you are very familiar with, if you don't mind me asking.
barbie

 

[CLICLASP]

Congratulations, we have experts overthere !
This tiara + earrings are on display at Apollon's gallery in le Louvre with other crown jewels.

XIX was the time of parure in jewelry (necklace+ broock+ earrings++ see post 156 page 11).
Huge quantities of diamonds arrived on the market with the discovery of South Africa mines (1867).
Rising fortune of a new social class brought a new demand in jewelry.
Jewellers were inspired by antics, we saw it previously with Castellani collection (post 37 page 3), it was time of etruscan art discoveries.

Lots of ancient jewels were unset and reset to be more in fashion.
The major today brand marks set up Rue de la Paix and Place Vendome in Paris (don't miss it when visiting Paris !! )
Black color in jewelry was also in fashion (we saw it in post 155 page 11).

And so much more, any comment welcome

So we are arriving at the turn of the century.
Conch pearls became in fashion .
Nothing special to do next tuesday ? this conch pearls parure is on sale in Monte Carlo !

So the question is:
of the 2 following jewels, which one is belonging to the XIX c.
and which one is XX century c. ?

Play again

 

[jerin]

Barbie,
partly I am in history as I always have been very much interested and especially European and Russion history, the last 3 centuries mainly but then I also love beautiful jewellery and I have books on tiaras, famous jewellry from the different European courts and because of this I had no trouble whatsoever to recognize this famous "Thurn and Taxis tiara", even if it originally belonged to the French crown jewels. BTW I think the French and the Russians had the most oustanding and lovely designs in my opinion. The painting as such is famous too and Winterhalter used to paint our most famous Austrian empress, Elisabeth, so I would recognize his style anywhere, I think.

 

[laurenb]

Hmm. My initial impulse is that the first photo is older and that the second is a more recent creation, but the diamonds in the second look like an older style of cut and I can't see the stones in the first, so I'm going to go against my knee-jerk reaction. The first is is XX and the second is XIX?

Then again, what I can see of the pin on the back of the second doesn't look like any pre-1900 pinbacks I've seen. It's a beautiful quandary!

 

[CLICLASP]

Hmm. My initial impulse is that the first photo is older and that the second is a more recent creation, but the diamonds in the second look like an older style of cut and I can't see the stones in the first, so I'm going to go against my knee-jerk reaction. The first is is XX and the second is XIX?

Then again, what I can see of the pin on the back of the second doesn't look like any pre-1900 pinbacks I've seen. It's a beautiful quandary!

Very clever, a true Sherlock Holmes investigation !
So the answers are :
1 - conch pearls parure dated beginning of the XX century
2 - a 1860 diamonds and pearls brooch, pearl weighing 96 grains (1 carat = 4 grains)

 

[CLICLASP]

Ready for a jump into the XX century ?
there has been so many trends in that century : art nouveau, art deco, the 40', 50', 60' and thenafter designers and mass jewelry, so many things to say ... and the breakthrough of the cultivated pearls industry !
So I shall not put up pictures in order of time - too easy - let's go for a kind of mixed up

Next is an outstanding piece made with natural pearls
How old is it? and any relative information ?

play again

 

[Caitlin]

Those are incredibly round for naturals-indicating they are very valuable. All those diamonds too. They probably belonged to a diva- or a duchess.

 

[CLICLASP]

Yes it is incredibly beautiful and amazing, Cartier did it.
How old did you say it was?

 

[Caitlin]

My guess is that it is art deco- maybe the 1920's.

 

[La Contessa]

Ooohhh - I've been catching up!

The necklace transcends time! Cartier meets Cleopatra!!!

I think Caitlin is right or maybe 1960's...

 

[Caitlin]

I am hoping to find out who they were made for, or who first bought them. That is what you call an "important" necklace!

 

[CLICLASP]

The necklace transcends time! Cartier meets Cleopatra!!!

I think Caitlin is right or maybe 1960's...

How you say those things beautifully

It is a 1953 Cartier necklace sold by Sotheby's in last may
but I don't know who it was made for and who it was sold to

12 graduated row of natural pearls, suspended to each side by triangular motifs set with diamonds
Estimated 200 - 300 000 USD SOLD 385 000 CHF (=USD +/-)
http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=GE0802&live_lot_id=431

I found it so amazing that I wanted to share this with you.
The geometric shape could be art deco as well as 50' or 60' period, a true "out of time" necklace .

After II Wwar period was time for a new luxury, beginning of the decade showed nature inspired patterns while end of the decade showed more abstracts designs.
White was the color and diamond most in fashion,
while mass jewelry allowed people to wear industrial jewels at lower price.
The Pearl necklace was still very traditionnal, the akoya necklace often offered for the 18th birthday of girls.

 

[CLICLASP]

Next : I could show at the same time an art deco and an art nouveau pearl jewel saying "which is wich ?"
Well, let's go into a more complicated game

What does this pendant make you think of what we saw before

Enjoy and play again

 

[Caitlin]

The caraval. Don't know if that is right though.

 

[nlerner]

Or an art nouveau Gorgo Medusa?

 

[J Marcus]

How about Leda and the Swan? It's definitely Art Nouveau. C'est Tres Beau! Might the artist be Rene' Lalique?

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html