Mastery of Design: A Pair of French Gemstone Earrings, 1820-1830

Earrings
1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Fashioned of gold filigree with cannetille (thin gold wires) and grainti (bumpy grains of gold) decoration, these earrings are set with emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls.

I’ll repeat what I said when I discussed the matching necklace which accompanies these earrings. I believe that these earrings were made later than the necklace. The necklace was created around 1820—a fact very much reflected in the style of the piece. However, I’m guessing the earrings came about a decade later. There’s something about the workmanship that doesn’t exactly match. However, they’re quite attractive and very nice examples of the style of the early to mid Nineteenth Century. This is the sort of thing that a young Queen Victoria would have worn—or at least admired.

Sunday Sparkle: The Cooper Christmas Pendant, 1906

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Cooper Christmas Pendant consists of a Madonna and Child within a jeweled niche, suspended within a circular wire frame which has been adorned with stars. The pendant is hung with an additional circular pendant and drop below, while above, a dove descends between the two chains that connect the suspension loop. The piece flickers with the colors and lights of hand-worked silver and gold with rubies, aquamarines, sapphires, opals and chrysoprases.


This is the work of John Paul Cooper whose artistry as a jeweler was celebrated at the 1906 Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Studio Magazine praised Cooper’s work for its sculptural qualities and for its originality during a period when other exhibitors' work appeared rather formulaic and staid.

The shimmer, rich colors, rounded cabochon-cut stones, plain bezels and the hand-worked silver seen here are typical of Arts and Crafts jewelry. Cooper favored figural subjects and he often worked with spiritual and symbolic themes.

Sunday Sparkle: The Life Began In Water Necklace, 1950

Necklace
"Life Began in Water"
Sah Oved, c. 1950
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the years following the Second World War, more so than in any other era, jewelry began to be viewed as a type of “wearable art,” which allowed the wearer to express his or her character as well as that of the designer. Designers played with the conventions of jewelry-making to produce untraditional, often abstract, pieces which looked to the modernist principles of the Bauhaus as well as to earlier avant-garde art movements such as Surrealism, Cubism and Constructivism. Though designs may have nodded to conventional and traditional designs, jewelers felt free to play with proportion and material, employing stones with unusual shapes which were presented in arrangements which were often asymmetrical.

Sah Oved became known for such pieces. Here’s an example of her work, made in England around 1950. “Life began in Water,” features a playful title which is alluding to the creation of life. This jewel is considered an iconic piece of its period.

The central ornament of the necklace is positioned off-center, the fishes and water birds are abstract, and the cuts of the agates, jasper and aquamarines are unconventional. The wholly odd, asymmetrical design became a benchmark for other designers wishing to emulate her work. 

Mastery of Design: The Valentine Rippon Brooch, 1953

Brooch
Valentine Rippon, 1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in London in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, this brooch by Valentine Rippon is a simple and elegant design of gold and aquamarines. It was made for T.M. Balson, and is engraved “T.C.F. Wise, London 1953.”


The brooch’s design draws from traditional Royal jewelry motifs. The serpentine gold work refers to Queen Victoria’s engagement ring—a winding snake representing eternity—while the bow-like shape reminds us of the jewels of Queen Mary who favored bow-brooches. Aquamarines play a large part in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels as she seems to favor them. 

Mastery of Design: Queen Elizabeth II’s Aquamarine and Diamond Tiara, 1957

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II happens to have quite a few tiaras at her disposal. She also happens to wear all of them, though not at once. A good many of them were gifts—particularly from her grandmother, Mary of Teck. This particular one wasn’t a gift, per se, but it was crafted from several gifts given to the Queen for her 1953 coronation.

Aquamarine and Diamond Tiara
1957-1971
Adapted by R. & S. Garrard & Co.
The Royal Collection

When originally constructed in 1957, this tiara featured three upright stones which matched the central portion of the tiara. All three were detachable and could be worn as brooches. The stones rose gracefully from a simple platinum and diamond band.

As a Coronation gift from the people of Brazil, Queen Elizabeth II was given a luxurious suite of aquamarine pieces. In 1971, the Queen had several of these aquamarine pieces adapted into additions to this tiara. The two flanking stones were removed in favor of these aquamarine and diamond scrolls and the central stone was replaced with the centerpiece from a particularly beautiful diamond and aquamarine necklace from the Brazilian suite.

The resulting tiara incorporates the original head-band with these adapted pieces, creating an unusual work of dazzling blue and sparkling diamonds. Her majesty frequently wears this tiara with the remaining pieces from the Brazilian suite and other items from her collection of aquamarines.

Mastery of Design: Her Majesty’s Aquamarines

The Royal Collection

Queen Elizabeth II, among her many treasures, is the owner of a fine collection of aquamarines which have been given to her as gifts throughout her life.  One piece of exceptional quality is this stunning aquamarine brooch.  Set in gold and platinum, blazingly white diamonds surround an impressive emerald-cut aquamarine.  This brooch was given to the Queen (along with a matching bracelet) in 1958 by The Brazilian government to complete a set of gorgeous aquamarines they had given her for her 1953 coronation.

Mastery of Design: A Pair of French Gemstone Earrings, 1820-1830

Earrings
1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In June of 2011, we looked at the necklace that forms a suite with these earrings. Fashioned of gold filigree with cannetille (thin gold wires) and grainti (bumpy grains of gold) decoration, these earrings are set with emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls.

I’ll repeat what I said when I discussed the necklace. I believe that these earrings were made later than the necklace. The necklace was created around 1820—a fact very much reflected in the style of the piece. However, I’m guessing the earrings came about a decade later. There’s something about the workmanship that doesn’t exactly match. However, they’re quite attractive and very nice examples of the style of the early to mid Nineteenth Century. This is the sort of thing that a young Queen Victoria would have worn—or at least admired.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Quintessential 1820’s Necklace



Necklace
French, 1820
Gold, Emerald, Citrine, Sapphire, Garnet, Ruby, Aquamarine, Peridot, Pearls
The Victoria & Albert Museum

 If I could pick one piece of jewelry which I felt best summarized the sensibilities of French jewelers of the 1820’s, it would be this necklace.

It’s a masterpiece of gold cannetille. Cannetille is a close cousin to filigree inasmuch as it also employs thin gold wires or finely hammered sheets of gold to create patterns of scrolls and volutes, and even organic-inspired elements. This type of workmanship reached the peak of its popularity in the 1820’s in France. These pieces were often adorned with pink topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, chrysoberyl and rubies as well as pearls and shells which tied into the overall Rococo-ness of the style.

This necklace very neatly sums up the style. Here we see the beautiful filigree work which defined the look of the era. Set into the sumptuous gold are emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls. It couldn’t be a more perfect example if it tried.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m guessing that the earrings depicted in the last photograph were created at a later date—probably the late 1830’s—to match the necklace. The scale is not quite right when compared to the necklace and that leads me to believe they’re not original.

Mastery of Design: The Joicey Brooch, c. 1830

Brooch
Europe, 1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Joicey. Joicey Brooch. Say it aloud, please. Say it in a variety of dialects. See? Fun, right?

The brooch’s name comes from the man who donated it to the V&A—a Mr. John George Joicey who bequeathed the piece in 1919.

A nifty work of gold with grainti decoration, the brooch was made in Western Europe around 1820-1830. And, it looks it. Some pieces of jewelry (and maybe it’s just to me, because I spend a lot of time looking at jewelry from many different eras) just seem to epitomize the time period in which they were made. This one just screams 1820-1830. It was a time period during which gold work was heavy and intricate with a nod to historical styles. Often chased, applied with volutes and scrolls and grainti, the gold work tended to emulate ancient Roman jewels. Furthermore, gemstones were often foiled to give more fire the simple cuts which were then-dominant.

This brooch, for example, is set with garnets and aquamarines. The latter are foiled in a bluish-green to enhance their color and fire.

Now, there’s a bit of an issue with the sparking green centerpiece. It’s paste. Since the other stones are the real deal, it’s a safe bet that the large center stone was once as well. Chances are, the center stone was removed for use in another piece, was lost, or damaged. Either way, it’s been replaced with paste. 

Nevertheless, it’s still quite pretty.  At some point in the Nineteenth Century, it served time as a pendant.

Mastery of Design: A Ring by Bailey, Banks and Biddle, 1930-1940

Click Image to Enlarge.
Platinum, Diamond, Aquamarine, and Ruby Ring
Bailey, Banks and Biddle
1930-1940
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Bailey, Banks & Biddle, one of America's oldest jewelers was originally founded, in Philadelphia in 1932, under the name Bailey & Kitchen. Since then, they have remained one of the best known jewelers in the U.S., enjoying special popularity in the 1930s. 


Here’s a great example of what made Bailey, Banks and Biddle so celebrated at the time. This ring is set with a domed, rectangular aquamarine which is framed with baguette-cut diamonds and with diamond-set arches at each end. The shoulders of this platinum ring are decorated with a triangular ruby and diamonds.

Mastery of Design: The Life Began In Water Necklace, 1950

Necklace
"Life Began in Water"
Sah Oved, c. 1950
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the years following the Second World War, more so than in any other era, jewelry began to be viewed as a type of “wearable art,” which allowed the wearer to express his or her character as well as that of the designer. Designers played with the conventions of jewelry-making to produce untraditional, often abstract, pieces which looked to the modernist principles of the Bauhaus as well as to earlier avant-garde art movements such as Surrealism, Cubism and Constructivism. Though designs may have nodded to conventional and traditional designs, jewelers felt free to play with proportion and material, employing stones with unusual shapes which were presented in arrangements which were often asymmetrical.

Sah Oved became known for such pieces. Here’s an example of her work, made in England around 1950. “Life began in Water,” features a playful title which is alluding to the creation of life. This jewel is considered an iconic piece of its period.

The central ornament of the necklace is positioned off-center, the fishes and water birds are abstract, and the cuts of the agates, jasper and aquamarines are unconventional. The wholly odd, asymmetrical design became a benchmark for other designers wishing to emulate her work. 

Mastery of Design: The John Paul Cooper Pendant, 1906

Pendant
John Paul Cooper
1906
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Jeweler John Paul Cooper (1869-1933) was awarded high honors at the 1906 Arts and Crafts Exhibition, when the Studio magazine singled out his jewelry for its “sculptural qualities” and for its originality during an exhibition in which other exhibitors' work appeared rather formulaic.

Bold colors and cabochon-cut stones are typical features of Arts and Crafts jewelry, and Cooper uses these brilliantly along with the favored bezels and silver settings. Cooper's work relied on spiritual and symbolic subjects as the jeweler was long-fascinated by the magical and spiritual associations of precious metals and stones.

This is one of the pieces which Cooper displayed in 1906.  The pendant consists of a Madonna and Child within a jeweled niche which hangs within a rounded wire frame which is decorated with stars. A further small circular pendant and drop hang below this central portion,  as above a dove descends between the two chains that connect the suspension loop.  The hand-worked silver and gold is set with rubies, aquamarines, sapphires, opals and chrysoprases.

Cooper made this in his Birmingham, England workshop for the 1906 Exhibition.

Mastery of Design: The Cooper Christmas Pendant, 1906

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Cooper Christmas Pendant consists of a Madonna and Child within a jeweled niche, suspended within a circular wire frame which has been adorned with stars. The pendant is hung with an additional circular pendant and drop below, while above, a dove descends between the two chains that connect the suspension loop. The piece flickers with the colors and lights of hand-worked silver and gold with rubies, aquamarines, sapphires, opals and chrysoprases.


This is the work of John Paul Cooper whose artistry as a jeweler was celebrated at the 1906 Arts and Crafts Exhibition. Studio Magazine praised Cooper’s work for its sculptural qualities and for its originality during a period when other exhibitors' work appeared rather formulaic and staid.

The shimmer, rich colors, rounded cabochon-cut stones, plain bezels and the hand-worked silver seen here are typical of Arts and Crafts jewelry. Cooper favored figural subjects and he often worked with spiritual and symbolic themes.

Mastery of Design: The Bailey, Banks and Biddle Aquamarine Ring, 1930

Today’s shiny thing is a lovely ring set with a domed, rectangular aquamarine which is framed with baguette-cut diamonds and with diamond-set arches at each end. The shoulders of the ring are decorated with a triangular ruby and diamonds.

This is the work of Bailey, one of America's oldest jewelers. Originally, the firm was called Bailey & Kitchen when it was founded in Philadelphia in 1832.

Mastery of Design: The Valentine Rippon Brooch, 1953

Brooch
Valentine Rippon, 1953
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in London in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, this brooch by Valentine Rippon is a simple and elegant design of gold and aquamarines. It was made for T.M. Balson, and is engraved “T.C.F. Wise, London 1953.”


The brooch’s design draws from traditional Royal jewelry motifs. The serpentine gold work refers to Queen Victoria’s engagement ring—a winding snake representing eternity—while the bow-like shape reminds us of the jewels of Queen Mary who favored bow-brooches. Aquamarines play a large part in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels as she seems to favor them.

Mastery of Design: A Pair of French Gemstone Earrings, 1820-1830

Earrings
1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In June, we looked at the necklace that forms a suite with these earrings. Fashioned of gold filigree with cannetille (thin gold wires) and grainti (bumpy grains of gold) decoration, these earrings are set with emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls.


I’ll repeat what I said when I discussed the necklace. I believe that these earrings were made later than the necklace. The necklace was created around 1820—a fact very much reflected in the style of the piece. However, I’m guessing the earrings came about a decade later. There’s something about the workmanship that doesn’t exactly match. However, they’re quite attractive and very nice examples of the style of the early to mid Nineteenth Century. This is the sort of thing that a young Queen Victoria would have worn—or at least admired.

Mastery of Design: The Quintessential 1820’s Necklace



Necklace
French, 1820
Gold, Emerald, Citrine, Sapphire, Garnet, Ruby, Aquamarine, Peridot, Pearls
The Victoria & Albert Museum

 If I could pick one piece of jewelry which I felt best summarized the sensibilities of French jewelers of the 1820’s, it would be this necklace.


It’s a masterpiece of gold cannetille. Cannetille is a close cousin to filigree inasmuch as it also employs thin gold wires or finely hammered sheets of gold to create patterns of scrolls and volutes, and even organic-inspired elements. This type of workmanship reached the peak of its popularity in the 1820’s in France. These pieces were often adorned with pink topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, chrysoberyl and rubies as well as pearls and shells which tied into the overall Rococo-ness of the style.

This necklace very neatly sums up the style. Here we see the beautiful filigree work which defined the look of the era. Set into the sumptuous gold are emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls. It couldn’t be a more perfect example if it tried.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m guessing that the earrings depicted in the last photograph were created at a later date—probably the late 1830’s—to match the necklace. The scale is not quite right when compared to the necklace and that leads me to believe they’re not original.

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Elizabeth II’s Aquamarine and Diamond Tiara, 1957

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II happens to have quite a few tiaras at her disposal. She also happens to wear all of them, though not at once. A good many of them were gifts—particularly from her grandmother, Mary of Teck. This particular one wasn’t a gift, per se, but it was crafted from several gifts given to the Queen for her 1953 coronation.

Aquamarine and Diamond Tiara
1957-1971
Adapted by R. & S. Garrard & Co.
The Royal Collection

When originally constructed in 1957, this tiara featured three upright stones which matched the central portion of the tiara. All three were detachable and could be worn as brooches. The stones rose gracefully from a simple platinum and diamond band.

As a Coronation gift from the people of Brazil, Queen Elizabeth II was given a luxurious suite of aquamarine pieces. In 1971, the Queen had several of these aquamarine pieces adapted into additions to this tiara. The two flanking stones were removed in favor of these aquamarine and diamond scrolls and the central stone was replaced with the centerpiece from a particularly beautiful diamond and aquamarine necklace from the Brazilian suite.

The resulting tiara incorporates the original head-band with these adapted pieces, creating an unusual work of dazzling blue and sparkling diamonds. Her majesty frequently wears this tiara with the remaining pieces from the Brazilian suite and other items from her collection of aquamarines.

Saturday Sparkle: Her Majesty’s Aquamarines

The Royal Collection

Queen Elizabeth II, among her many treasures, is the owner of a fine collection of aquamarines which have been given to her as gifts throughout her life.  One piece of exceptional quality is this stunning aquamarine brooch.  Set in gold and platinum, blazingly white diamonds surround an impressive emerald-cut aquamarine.  This brooch was given to the Queen (along with a matching bracelet) in 1958 by The Brazilian government to complete a set of gorgeous aquamarines they had given her for her 1953 coronation.