Fine Déco Diamond and Platinum Necklace, c. 1920s

This elegant, elongated necklace is an exquisite example of the design language of the 1920s. Its strict symmetry, delicate milgrains, geometrically shaped links, and clean vertical lines are characteristic of Art Deco. Intricately crafted platinum settings make the diamonds—totaling approximately 2.50 ct—appear almost weightless. At the same time, they lend the piece of jewellery an extraordinary sense of visual lightness. In contrast to the goldsmithing of the previous generation, platinum offered the opportunity to use the metal as sparingly as possible and to place the diamonds at the center of attention. What is remarkable, however, is not only the necklace’s modern design but also the gemstones used here. The old-cut diamonds—as revealed by their hand-set, individually cut facets—were cut several decades earlier and were likely once part of a Belle Époque piece of jewellery. In the 1920s, numerous jewelers offered their customers the option of updating older jewelry to suit contemporary tastes. Precious diamonds were removed from settings that had gone out of style and rearranged in modern designs. In this way, the material and emotional value of the old stones was combined with the aesthetics of a new era. This necklace is a particularly successful example of this trend. Its diamonds retain the character of their historic cuts, while their clean arrangement in the delicate platinum settings impressively embodies the style of modernism. It thus tells not only the story of a new fashion trend but also that of a thoughtful approach to precious materials, whose beauty has been reinterpreted across generations.

Estimation:€4,690

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