Mastery of Design: A French Diamond Spray Ornament, c. 1850

Diamond Spray Ornament with Trembler
The Hull-Grundy Gift
The British Museum

I've had a good time these last couple of weeks exploring the jewelry in the Hull-Grundy gift to The British Museum.  Among the many grand jewels in the bequest is this ornamental trembler pin in the form of a floral spray, a piece which is highly representative of the Nineteenth Century revival of Eighteenth Century forms.  

The French work of silver, gold, and closed-back, pink-foiled diamonds is reminiscent of pieces made for the French court in the late Eighteenth Century.  Empress Eugénie revived the style in the 1850s when such floral ornaments found a new fashion in the naturalistic style which flourished across the European aristocracy. 

Mastery of Design: The Meller Brooch, c. 1850

Bodice Ornament
France, 1840-1850
Given by Frederick Meller to
The Victoria & Albert Museum

As mid Nineteenth Century jewelers strove for naturalism in their designs, they created pieces defined by densely-set stones in forms based on the beauty of nature. The next natural step in this fashion was to add movement to jewels which would replicate the motion of a breeze through plants and flowers or the motion of insects.

We’ve talked about tremblers before. These flexible, coiled stalks or springs created a sensation of shimmering nature. As the wearer moved, the jewel would sway and quiver. The overall effect was one of immense glamour and opulence.

While most of these pieces were tremendously expensive diamond creations, jewelers made some with less-costly pastes so that this fashion could be available to a wider range of customers.

This floral spay brooch is a great example of the clever use of pastes. In candlelight or gaslight, these brilliant-cut pastes, set in silver, shimmered almost as much as diamonds, and, with the novelty of motion, these costume pieces were quite convincing. It was made in France around 1840 -1850 and features articulated pendants which would have swayed as the wearer walked. The jewel was to give the impression of flowers bathed in a gentle rain.

Mastery of Design: A Trembler by Bulgari, 1958

This and all related images from:
The British Museum

Made in 1958 by Bulgari in Rome, this diamond and sapphire clip brooch revives the late Eighteenth Century fashion of the floral spray ornament.  The stems of the flowers are set with baguette (baton cut) diamonds, and the know of the ribbon at the base is set with rectangular diamonds.  

The signed, platinum mount features a double-pronged clip fitting for wear on the edge of a dress or lapel if desired.  A nod to Victorian fashion, the flowers are mounted en tremblant on spring settings so that they quiver as the wearer moves. 

Mastery of Design: A French Diamond Spray Ornament, c. 1850

Diamond Spray Ornament with Trembler
The Hull-Grundy Gift
The British Museum

I've had a good time these last couple of weeks exploring the jewelry in the Hull-Grundy gift to The British Museum.  Among the many grand jewels in the bequest is this ornamental trembler pin in the form of a floral spray, a piece which is highly representative of the Nineteenth Century revival of Eighteenth Century forms.  

The French work of silver, gold, and closed-back, pink-foiled diamonds is reminiscent of pieces made for the French court in the late Eighteenth Century.  Empress Eugénie revived the style in the 1850s when such floral ornaments found a new fashion in the naturalistic style which flourished across the European aristocracy.

Mastery of Design: A Georgian Trembler, c. 1770.

This and all related images from The British Museum.

Thought to have been made in Italy, this aigrette (an ornament simulating the feathers of an egret , often worn on a turban or hat) dates to circa 1770.  It is made in the form of crescent with a trembler spray of flowers of silver and gold with a closed-back and set with diamonds of assorted cuts and sizes.  

Such an ornament, with its moving pendant drops, would have been quite the thing in the Seventeenth Century when jewelry design leaned toward the Naturalistic and jewelers looked for new ways to create a sense of motion with their work.  This fashion would be resurrected in the mid-Victorian period.

This is one of three such Georgian pieces which were given to the V&A as part of the Hull-Grundy Gift of 1978.

Click Images to Enlarge.

Mastery of Design: A Bee Brooch, c. 1890

Bar Brooch
1890-1900
England
The Victoria & Albert Museum

All of the ideals of late Victorian English jewelry had a party and produced this brooch. The gold bar brooch is mounted with a gold bee. The buzzy little fellow is set with rose-cut diamonds and a pearl. Made between 1890 and 1900, the brooch shows the trend of the era toward diamond jewelry in naturalistic forms. Such a bee was handsome on its own, and, in this case, was designed to be worn as a singular, more informal piece. However, similar bees were often part of opulent diamond floral sprays, sometimes set on coiled wires—tremblers--so they might move as the wearer did.

Mastery of Design: The Meller Brooch, c. 1850

Bodice Ornament
France, 1840-1850
Given by Frederick Meller to
The Victoria & Albert Museum

As mid Nineteenth Century jewelers strove for naturalism in their designs, they created pieces defined by densely-set stones in forms based on the beauty of nature. The next natural step in this fashion was to add movement to jewels which would replicate the motion of a breeze through plants and flowers or the motion of insects.

We’ve talked about tremblers before. These flexible, coiled stalks or springs created a sensation of shimmering nature. As the wearer moved, the jewel would sway and quiver. The overall effect was one of immense glamour and opulence.

While most of these pieces were tremendously expensive diamond creations, jewelers made some with less-costly pastes so that this fashion could be available to a wider range of customers.

This floral spay brooch is a great example of the clever use of pastes. In candlelight or gaslight, these brilliant-cut pastes, set in silver, shimmered almost as much as diamonds, and, with the novelty of motion, these costume pieces were quite convincing. It was made in France around 1840 -1850 and features articulated pendants which would have swayed as the wearer walked. The jewel was to give the impression of flowers bathed in a gentle rain.