Tiffany & Co. Diamond and Colored Gem-Set Concealed Watch Brooch
$95,000
Dating from the classic Art Deco period, this Tiffany & Co. diamond, ruby, emerald and enamel brooch cleverly conceals a watch. Pavé-set with diamonds, the brooch is designed as a grand, stylized planter, patterned by channel-set diamond baguettes and over-spilling with emerald, ruby and diamond flowers on black enamel branches, with a calibré-cut emerald base. The planter sits within a geometric scrolling frame, accented by diamond bullets. A mini marvel of jewelry engineering and strong design, this radiant jewel angles forward on invisible hinges to reveal the time.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Artist: Tiffany & Co.
Circa: 1920s
Size: 1.50” length, 2.125” width
Materials: 215 Round-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 4.65 carats); 14 Baguette-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 1.00 carat); 20 Square-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 0.90 carat); 7 Cabochon rubies and carved bead ruby (approximate total weight 0.52 carat); 11 Cabochon and calibre-cut emeralds (approximate total weight 0.33 carat); Black Enamel; Platinum; Silvered base metal watch
Signed: "Tiffany Irid Plat," and "Tiffany & Co" on watch dial
Literature: Similar watch brooch pictured and discussed in American Luxury Jewels from the House of Tiffany, by Falino and Markowitz, Antique Collectors' Club, 2009, p. 144, plate 91
Exhibition History: Exhibited at "Anything Goes: The Jazz Age" at the Nassau County Museum of Art, March 24, 2018 to July 8, 2018
A French art exhibition in New York in 1924, followed by the Paris Exposition of 1925, propelled the Art Deco design revolution, which synthesized geometry, primary colors, and bold stylization of motifs and styles drawn from multiple world cultures, such as those displayed in this dynamic brooch.