Magnificent Art Nouveau bejeweled dragonfly brooch

Pictures just can’t do this early Art Nouveau dragonfly brooch the justice it deserves as it’s even more magnificent when observed in real life and up close. While following the typical S-shaped movement through the winged body, the perfectly balanced composition of the 229 old brilliant cut diamond with the 17 rose cut diamonds and the sapphires, rubies and emeralds sooths the eye, especially considering the wide range of colours. Looking closer at each and every setting, the high quality of craftsmanship flutters from gem to gem. The only thing missing for this dragonfly is a spectacular spot to warm its wings in the sun.

Antique jewelry object group:
   -   brooch

Condition:
   -   very good condition
   -  more info on our condition scale

Style:
   -   Between Victorian and Art Nouveau - Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior decoration. Victorian design is widely viewed as having indulged in a regrettable excess of ornament.

The Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the late Victorian era. Art Nouveau (French for New Style) is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied ar - 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. 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.
   -  See also: late-Victorian, early Art Nouveau, eclecticism or more info on styles

Style specifics:
   -   Late Victorian / early Art Nouveau - The subject of this piece, although typical 19th Century, announces the coming of the Art Nouveau style.

Period:
   -  ca. 1900
   -   (events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era)

Source of inspiration:
   -  Mother Nature

Theme:
   -   Dragonflies in cultures - In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Øyenstikker", which literally means eye-poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "tira-olhos" (eye-snatcher).

They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured.

Images of dragonflies are common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.

As a seasonal symbol in Japan, the dragonfly is associated with early and late summer and early autumn. More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. The love for dragonflies is reflected in the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. (From: Wikipedia)

Material:
   -  18k pink gold and silver (touchstone tested)
   -  See also The silver on gold technique
   -  More info on precious metals

Diamonds:
   -   229 old brilliant cut diamonds with an estimated weight of ± 6.39ct.
It is not doable to describe each and every single diamond set in this beauty but most of the stones are H/J colour and vs/si. But some of the bigger diamonds are slightly tinted fancy yellow and even some slight fancy pink diamonds.
   -   Also set with 17 rose cut diamonds and senailles. A senaille is a simplified rose cut diamond, a small diamond chip with perhaps a few polished facets. We do not have the weight of the rose cuts diamonds nor the senailles which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cut diamonds and senailles.

Total diamond count: 246 pcs.

   -  All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since stones are not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
   -  All diamonds we offer are screened by the IJGC (www.ijgc-worldwide.com ) for whether they are natural or synthetic, and all diamonds in this jewel are 100% guaranteed to be natural.

Precious stones:
   -  One pink sapphire with an estimated weight of ± 1.70ct.
   -  Four oval rubies with an estimated weight of ± 1.20ct.
   -  Twelve old brilliant cut emeralds with an estimated weight of ± 0.16ct.
   -  Twelve old brilliant cut sapphires with an estimated weight of ± 0.12ct.
   -  Two sugar loaf cabochon sapphires with an estimated weight of ± 1.00ct.

   -  All color stone weights are approximate since stones are not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
   -  It is a very common practice to treat gemstones to intensify their clarity or colour. The item in question has not been tested in this regard.

Birthstones:
   -   diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April
   -   sapphire for September
   -   ruby for July
   -   emerald for May
   -  more info on birthstones

Hallmarks:
  -  No trace
  -  more info on hallmarks

Dimensions:
  -   width 8,22 cm (3,24 inch) - See picture with a ruler in cm and inches

Weight:
  -   23,50 gram (15,11 dwt)

Adin Reference Nº:
   -   21134-0013

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewellery

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