Art Deco pendant of Mary in green relief with pearls, circa 1920

A refined Art Deco pendant from about 1920, this devotional jewel shows Mary in pale low relief against a vivid green ground, framed by seed pearls and rose cut diamonds. Its arched form and quiet contrast give it both presence and intimacy, while the sacred image lends it a gentle air of faith, tenderness, and remembrance.

Jewellery Type
pendant

Condition
very good condition
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Country of origin
unknown

Style
Art Deco - Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style which had its origins in Paris in the first decades of the 20th century. The style originated in the 1920s and continued to be employed until after World War II. The term "art deco" first saw wide use after an exhibition in 1966, referring to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was the culmination of high-end style modern in Paris. Led by the best designers in the decorative arts such as fashion, and interior design, Art Deco affected all areas of design throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including architecture and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern.
See also: Art Deco
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Style specifics
Abstract motives and geometrical forms are quite typical for the Art Deco period. Art Deco moved away from the soft pastels and organic forms of its style predecessor, Art Nouveau, and embraced influences from many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative.

Period
ca. 1920
Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era.

Source of inspiration
Christianity

Theme
Mary. This pendant appears to depict the Virgin Mary in quiet profile, shown holding a lily, the flower traditionally associated with purity, innocence, and devotion. The image has the calm, reverent character often found in devotional jewellery, where Mary is not presented in dramatic form, but as a gentle and protective presence. In this jewel, the theme seems to unite faith, tenderness, and quiet contemplation within a small and intimate ornamental object.

Material
platinum (touchstone tested)
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Technique
This pendant appears to use a cameo-like relief effect rather than a hand-carved cameo. The figure seems to have been formed in a pressed glass or glass-like material, creating the look of a cameo through contrast, profile, and softly modelled relief.

Diamonds
Fifteen rose cut diamonds . We do not have the weight of the diamonds which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cuts.

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

Precious stones
Sixteen seed pearls

Birthstones
Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April and pearl for June.
more info on birthstones

Monogram
An intertwined monogram formed by the letters N and P, with the stem of the P placed over the right upright of the N.

Hallmarks
No trace.
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Dimensions
3,80 cm (1,50 inch) x 2,46 cm (0,97 inch)
see picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches

Weight
5,50 gram (3,54 dwt)

Adin Reference Nº
26089-0387

Copyright photography
Adin, fine antique jewellery

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