Belle Époque Brilliance: Necklace & Brooch Masterwork

Presenting a splendid Belle Époque necklace and brooch ensemble, a testament to the opulent era it hails from. Crafted meticulously in 18K yellow gold and platinum, this masterpiece radiates timeless elegance. Adorned with a magnificent rose-cut diamond centerpiece, embellished with 108 smaller rose-cut diamonds and senailles, it exemplifies exquisite craftsmanship. The intricate enamelling technique adds an artistic touch, while the presence of lustrous pearls, including one large and 15 smaller, enhances its allure. This piece encapsulates the essence of Belle Époque luxury, a masterpiece worthy of the most discerning connoisseur.

Antique jewelry object group: necklace with pendant that can be worn as brooch too

Condition: very good condition
  -  (more info on our condition scale)

Country of origin: unknown, but imported into the Austria-Hungarian Empire (because of the hallmarks in the piece)

Style: Belle Époque - The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms. In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era. or more info on styles

Style specifics: The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century from the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and lasted until World War I (1914-18).

Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms.

In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era.

In the Belle Époque cheap coal and cheap labour contributed to the cult of the orchid and made possible the perfection of fruits grown under glass, as the apparatus of state dinners extended to the upper classes; champagne was perfected during the Belle Époque. Exotic feathers and furs were more prominently featured in fashion than ever before, as haute couture was invented in Paris, the centre of the Belle Époque, where fashion began to move in a yearly cycle; in Paris restaurants such as Maxim's achieved a new splendour and cachet as places for the rich to parade, and the Opéra Garnier devoted enormous spaces to staircases as similar show places.

After mid-century, railways linked all the major cities of Europe to spa towns like Biarritz and Deauville; their carriages were rigorously divided into first-class and second-class, but the super-rich now began to commission private railway coaches, as exclusivity was a hallmark of opulent luxury. Bohemian lifestyles gained a different glamour, pursued in the cabarets of Montmartre.

Period: ca. 1900
  -  (events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era)

Material: 18K yellow gold and platinum (touchstone tested)
  -  (more info on precious metals)

Technique: Enamelling is an old and widely-adopted technology. The ancient Egyptians applied enamels to pottery and stone objects. The ancient Greeks, Celts, Russians, and Chinese also used enameling processes on metal objects. Enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. The powder melts and flows and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass or ceramic. According to some sources, the word enamel comes from the High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail. Used as a noun, "an enamel" is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coating, such as a champlevé or a cloisonné (different techniques).

Diamond(s): One large rose cut diamond and 108 smaller rose cut diamonds and senailles . A senaille is a simplified rose cut diamond, a small diamond chip with perhaps a few polished facets. We do not have the weight of the rose cuts diamonds nor the senailles which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cut diamonds and senailles.

- All diamonds we offer are screened by the IJGC - lab (www.ijgc-worldwide.com ) for whether they are natural or synthetic, and all diamonds in this jewel are 100% guaranteed to be natural.

Precious stones: One large and 15 smaller pearls (most probably natural)

Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April and pearl for June.
  -  (more info on birthstones)

Hallmarks: Austrian Hungarian hallmark for goods imported into the empire between 1866 and 1937
  -  (more info on hallmarks)

Dimensions: width brooch 4,98 cm (1,96 inch), circumference necklace 42,00 cm (16,54 inch) - See picture with a ruler in cm and inches

Weight: 20,00 gram (12,86 dwt)

Adin Reference Nº: 20198-0036

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewellery

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