Large Vintage Brooch with Opal, Diamonds & Coloured Stones, c. 1955

A bird of paradise with sparkling feathers flies past us. Its plumage is richly decorated with an array of wonderful gemstones whose beauty is brought to life in the light of the sun: It is a firework display of colors, accompanied by warm gold and radiant silver, with a precious gemstone at the center as the highlight of the design: a large opal. The opal, a stone from Australia, is cut as a cabochon and shimmers in blue and green. The bird's head and neck, wings and tail frame and protect it at the same time. They are forged from gold and silver and set with diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. The brooch was created in the 1950s, probably in Great Britain. Animal-shaped jewellery was - once again - all the rage at the time, with Cartier's wonderful panthers and birds, for example, making jewellery history. The stylized shape of the design is typical of this period, as is the colourfulness of the piece, which is actually reduced to red, white, blue and green, with a few accents in gold, despite the wealth of gemstones. The opal is wonderfully chosen here and complements the light of the sapphires and emeralds beautifully. The fact that the gemstones, at least in part, are probably used here for a second purpose, i.e. they have already shone in other pieces of jewelry, further supports the dating to these years: the immediate post-war period was still a time of restricted trade routes - but a bird as dreamlike as this one could help to forget the bitter days. The brooch came to us here in Berlin. It is in very good condition.

Estimation:€2,590

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