Ca. 1900 Arts and Crafts Art Nouveau Gold Enamel Diamond Pendant

A ca. 1900 Arts and Crafts / Art Nouveau pendant in 18K gold, its softly curving form set with translucent blue enamel leaves and a small old cut diamond. The design has a quiet, hand-worked charm, balancing the organic spirit of Art Nouveau with the more restrained character of Arts and Crafts. Light in scale yet full of period atmosphere, it feels both decorative and intimate.

Jewellery Type
pendant

Condition
very good condition
more info on our condition scale

Country of origin
unknown

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
more info on styles

Style specifics
Arts and Crafts / Art Nouveau - The pendant shows stylised botanical forms and curving lines characteristic of the period around 1900, combining the organic vocabulary of Art Nouveau with the more restrained and artisanal spirit of Arts and Crafts.

Period
ca. 1900
Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era.

Source of inspiration
Mother Nature

Theme
Stylised botanical motif

Material 18K
yellow gold (touchstone tested)
more info on precious metals

Technique
Enamelling is an old and widely-adopted technology. The ancient Egyptians applied enamels to pottery and stone objects. The ancient Greeks, Celts, Russians, and Chinese also used enameling processes on metal objects. Enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. The powder melts and flows and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass or ceramic. According to some sources, the word enamel comes from the High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail. Used as a noun, "an enamel" is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coating, such as a champlevé or a cloisonné (different techniques).

Diamonds
One old European cut diamond with an approximate total weight of 0.04ct colour and clarity G/I, vs/si

- Any diamond weights, colour grades, and clarity stated are approximate unless otherwise noted, as diamonds are not removed from their settings in order to preserve the integrity of the piece.

- All diamonds in our antique and vintage jewellery, regardless of size or shape, are verified by the IJGC laboratory as natural.

Birthstones
Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April.
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Hallmarks
"750" indicating 18K gold
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Dimensions
3,00 cm (1,18 inch) x 1,70 cm (0,67 inch)
see picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches

Weight
1,80 gram (1,16 dwt)

Adin Reference Nº
26065-0291

Copyright photography
Adin, fine antique jewellery

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