Luxurious Garland Style Necklace with 3.20 ct Diamonds, c. 1910

"Diamonds sparkled everywhere. On snow-white shirts and full busts, on powdered necks, bare arms and ungloved fingers. They crowned the ebony hair of stately matrons and sparkled between the curled and braided hair of young women. They shone on the straps and necklines of dresses and coiled snake-like around plump wrists..." - From the serialized novel "The Countess Pharamond", London Society, April 1892, p. 336. The first ball of the season was and is always a special event. Not only were the debutantes finally allowed to introduce themselves to society after a long wait. The start of the ball season also promised pleasure again after months of seclusion in the country during the summer. The latest dresses and jewellery were worn - and with the waltz, the wheel of jokes and rumors turned again. On such occasions, the lady of the Belle Époque wore diamonds set in the Garland style. This "garland style" had brought a formal language to the world of jewellery around c. 1900, which contrasted the Art Nouveau style with a more classic, refined conception of style. Borrowings from Louis XVI forms and motifs from classical antiquity enlivened a classicism that valued small, delicate laurel tendrils as much as meticulous festoons and embellishments with tiny milgrains. This necklace is a typical example of this style. A magnificent pendant in the shape of a bow adorned with laurel leaves is attached to the center of a delicate silver chain. The highlight of this elegant creation is formed by three suspended pendulums. Three old-cut diamonds with a total weight of around 2.20 carats sparkle at their ends. Circumferential shadow gaps further enhance the stones. In total, the precious necklace features over three carats of diamonds in various historical cuts. The heyday of the Garland style fell in the early years of the 20th century. Our necklace, richly decorated and perfectly preserved, was also created during this period. An independent expert opinion has confirmed the quality of the materials used. For dating, see also David Bennet and Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewellery, Woodbridge 2010, pp. 272-281, especially p. 274, fig. 488.

Estimation:€10,790

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