Van Cleef & Arpels Art Deco Sapphire Diamond Invisibly Set Mystery Setting Ring

Through their invisible rail setting in platinum, a technique Van Cleef and Arpels had the French patent for, 15 square cut sapphires form a smooth cincture, which wraps around the finger delicately. This belt shaped ring is topped off by a buckle full of azure-set diamonds, enclosing the diamond encrusted plinth acting like a base beneath the sapphires.

Antique jewelry object group: ring

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

Country of origin: France

Style: Between Art Deco and Interbellum - 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. The interwar period (1918–1939) is understood, within recent Western culture, to be the period between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Second World War. This is also called the period between the wars or interbellum.
  -  See also: Art Deco and Interbellum or more info on styles

Style specifics: This is something between Art Deco and the Interbellum.
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.

The Interbellum is the period between the two World Wars and one can recognize a transition from the Art Deco style to the Retro style.

Period: ca. 1940
  -  (events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era)

Source of inspiration: buckle

Material: platinum
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Technique: On 2 December 1933, Van Cleef and Arpels received French Patent No. 764,966 for a proprietary gem setting style it calls Serti Mysterieux, or "Mystery Setting", a technique employing a setting where the prongs are invisible. Each stone is faceted onto gold rails less than two-tenths of a millimeter thick. The technique can require 300 hours of work per piece or more, and only a few are produced each year. (From: Wikipedia)

Extra information: Van Cleef & Arpels - Their first jewelry store was created in 1906 by Charles, Julien and Louis Arpels, in partnership with their brother-in-law Alfred Van Cleef. They soon reached international recognition and in 1942, they had the possibility to open a new store in New York on the famous Fifth Avenue.

Diamonds: 38 brilliant cut diamonds with a total estimated weight of approx. 1.08 crt.
Note: All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.

Total diamond weight: approx. 1.08 crt.

Precious stones: 15 sapphires
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Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April and sapphire for September.
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Signature: Van Cleef & Arpels

Hallmarks: Illegible remains of French hallmarks
  -  (more info on hallmarks)

Dimensions: width of band on top of ring 1,53 cm (0,60 inch)

Weight: 10,00 gram (6,43 dwt)

Ring size Continental: 53 & 17 , Size US 6¼ , Size UK: M

Resizing: Free resizing, but because of the the way the ring is made, we cannot guarantee to make it on every size; so please ask in advance (only for extreme resizing we have to charge).
  -  (more info on ring sizes)

Reference Nº: 15209-0120

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewelry

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