Magnificent Art Nouveau pendant signed E.Dropsy with refined diamond details

It's not always a gift being experts in antique jewelry. For example in this case. Would we know less we simply could sell this piece as a master piece of the French Art Nouveau period. But we are experts and we think this pendant was made around 1950, and it can't be both...

But yes, somehow it is possible... Yes this is French Art-Nouveau and yes we also think it is "made" around in 1950 in Belgium. What is the case? This pendant was offered to us recently and it was not the first time we ran into this particular design. We only never saw it in in 18K gold as we do here, we only knew it made in FIX (or rolled gold). When examining the diamonds we noticed that the stones are cut some 50-60 years ago.

We believe that the owner of this pendant originally had a rolled-gold example of this pendant and had a good jeweler reproduce it in 18K gold embellishing it with diamonds. The original pendant we also have had in our collection (see: this page). That the reproduction of the pendant is done by a very professional jeweler is recognizable by the finishing of the piece and the setting of the diamonds.

Antique jewelry object group: locket and pendant

Condition: excellent condition
  -  (more info on our condition scale)

Country of origin: Although it does not carry any legible control marks we believe this to be of Belgian origin.

Style: Art Nouveau - Art Nouveau (French for New Style) is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art - especially the decorative arts - that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century (1890–1905).

The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art". It is also known as Jugendstil, German for "youth style", named after the magazine Jugend, which promoted it, and in Italy, Stile Liberty from the department store in London, Liberty & Co., which popularised the style, and in Holland as “Sla-olie-stijl”, Dutch for “salad oil style” after a advertisement poster for this product that was made in that style.

A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly stylized, flowing curvilinear forms. Art Nouveau is an approach to design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life. Although Art Nouveau fell out of favour with the arrival of 20th-century modernist styles, it is seen today as an important bridge between the historicism of Neoclassicism and modernism.
  -  See also: Art Nouveau or more info on styles

Style specifics: Art Nouveau - Although Art Nouveau took on distinctly localised tendencies as its geographic spread increase some general characteristics are indicative of the form. A description published in Pan magazine of Hermann Obrist's wall-hanging Cyclamen (1894) described it as "sudden violent curves generated by the crack of a whip", which became well known during the early spread of Art Nouveau.

Subsequently, not only did the work itself become better known as The Whiplash, but the term "whiplash" is frequently applied to the characteristic curves employed by Art Nouveau artists. Such decorative "whiplash" motifs, formed by dynamic, undulating, and flowing lines in a syncopated rhythm, are found throughout the architecture, painting, sculpture, and other forms of Art Nouveau design.(from: Wikipedia)

Period: ca. 1950
  -  (events and facts in 1950)

Source of inspiration: Mother Nature

Theme: Woman in field of irisses

Material: 18K yellow gold
  -  (more info on precious metals)

Diamonds: 6 semi-modern brilliant cut diamonds with a total estimated weight of approx. 0.10 crt.

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

Signature: E.Dropsy (Jean Baptiste Émile Dropsy 1858-1923)

Hallmarks: No trace.
  -  (more info on hallmarks)

Dimensions: height 5.90 cm (2.32 inch), thickness 4.80 cm (1.89 inch)

Weight: 48.90 gram (31.44 dwt)

Reference Nº: 11119-0027

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewelry

See also our:
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