Turquoise Enamel, Diamond and Pearl Pendant Necklace and Bracelet
Dating from the Victorian era, this bloomed gold, turquoise enamel and pearl bracelet and necklace demi-parure is offered in its original Morocco leather and velvet box. The bracelet is designed as a diamond star centering a button pearl framed by turquoise en plein enamel, applied rope twist, and swirling knot motifs, completed by a bracelet of flexible snake links edged by foxtail chain, while the necklace of delicate trace link chain suspends a conforming pendant. With its glowing bloomed surfaces and sweet matte blue enamel, this charming suite with its abstracted forms and supple mesh links is stylish, surprisingly modern and comfortable to wear.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: STE-20067
Circa: 1860-1870
Size: 6.50" length, 1.50" width (bracelet); 15” length (chain); 1.50” diameter (pendant)
Materials: 6 rose-cut diamonds (approximate total weight .06 carat); 2 button pearls; Enamel; 15K Gold
This suite owes its distinctive glowing surface to an art called “bloomed gold”. This was a technique pioneered by English jewelers wherein alloyed gold was dipped in a secret recipe of boiling saltpeter, acid, salt and water, which melted away alloyed metals, leaving a surface of finely textured pure gold. In the second half of the 19th century, French goldsmiths came to London in an effort to discover the secrets of this British innovation.