General Information:
- Total Carat Weight: 0.48 ctw
- Precious Metal Weight: 3.00 dwt
- Precious Metal Material: 14k buttery, patinaed yellow gold
- Dimensions: This brooch measures 27.35 mm long x 24.20 mm wide x 7.40 mm deep, including the stem and the watch hook to the pin's reverse.
- Weight: A wonderfully hefty 4.66 grams
- Markings: Possible illegible marking to the piece's reverse; in the distinct style and craftsmanship of Krementz.
- Era: This brooch is believed to date to the late Victorian period, circa 1900.
- Buyer Notes: A superb brooch, this piece is not only a beautiful jewel, but also embodies an astounding network of symbolism. Please read "The Story" below for more.
Specifications:
- Center Stone Type: Diamond
- Center Stone Count: One (1)
- Center Stone Dimensions: 0.072 ct by formula per the specific gravity of diamond and using the unique dimensions below (including the ~0.77 mm table diameter which is unusually small for diamonds of this size, and denotes the stone's impressive height-- which, in turn, accounts for the diamond's added carat weight); this diamond has the visual spread of a MODERN 0.03-0.04 ct diamond, exhibiting how antique hand-cuts almost always boast chunkier carat weight per size than their modern, machine-cut counterparts.
- Center Stone Carat Weight: Estimated 2.35 x 2.05 x 1.70 mm, as measured within the mounting as the stone setting permits.
- Center Stone Shape: Old Mine (almost Cushion) Cut (note how fantastically tall the crown of this cut is in profile!)
- Center Stone Color: Estimated H
- Center Stone Clarity: Estimated VS2
- Side Stone Type: Pearl
- Side Stone Count: Twenty-three (23)
- Side Stone Dimensions and Carat Weights:
- 6 pearls are about 0.85 mm = 0.018 ctw; 0.003 ct ea
- 5 pearls are about 1.00 mm = 0.035 ctw; 0.007 ct ea
- 5 pearls are about 1.50 mm = 0.090 ctw; 0.018 ct ea
- 4 pearls are about 1.70 mm = 0.120 ctw; 0.030 ct ea
- 3 pearls are about 1.95 mm = 0.141 ctw; 0.047 ct ea
Altogether, the total estimated carat weight of the pearls equals 0.404 ctw. - Side Stone Shape: Halved/Split Seed
- Side Stone Color: Deep cream to gray with silvery orient
- Side Stone Clarity: Opaque with good to very good luster
The Story:
A very fine late Victorian treasure, this brooch was originally designed for wear on a lady's lapel bodice or blouse front. Distinct from other standard brooch ornaments, watch pins served a functional purpose: a ladies pocket watch could be suspended from a small, hidden hook on the pin's reverse. By keeping the watch worn at the breast, the wearer could easily keep track of time while also complementing her ensemble with the latest statement in status and fashion. Some watch pins were sold along with an accompanying timepiece, and others were sold separately so that ladies could mix and match their accessories. This pin appears to be of the latter category, and was created to be just as wearable, stylish and lovely when enjoyed without a watch, as with. It's ability to be worn in any orientation furthers its aesthetic versatility for the wearer.
This piece is a joining of two symbolic elements: the crescent moon and the blooming iris. The crescent form is outfitted with twenty-three graduated pearls of glorious warmth and color, each one set within a petal-like cell that, together, comprise the brooch's scalloped perimeter. The central bloom artistically anchors the piece, and gives it a decidedly Art Nouveau reference; the Art Nouveau movement was classified by nature-inspired themes, and a deep appreciation for the striking dichotomy of natural geometries and unpredictability. European Nouveau is much beloved for its asymmetrical designs that often incorporated sharp points and angles with sweeping cymas, parabolas, and unfurling elements. These tenets were often enhanced by either overt illustrations or implied allusions to the mysticism of femininity and the unabashed celebration of sensuality. The summation of these strong motifs are definitively Art Nouveau -- and this brooch embodies precisely these details!
The celestial crescent shape was a favorite jewelry and design subject amongst Victorians, having first emerged as a popular motif during the Mid to Late Victorian period. It was during this time that the rise of a new class-- the middle class-- also gave rise to a new kind of (relatively modest) world travel, broadening the horizons of a swath of the population that had never before had the opportunity or means to see the world. Likewise, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 increased trade and tourism with Africa and the Middle East included sites and regions in Egypt, Sudan, Marrakesh, Algeria, Tunisia, Israel, Istanbul, Turkey and others. Victorians brought home souvenirs from their travels, as well as new emblematic interests and connections, design influences and ideas. The crescent moon shape is one such cultural, holy and political emblem, and is a stylized rendition of the waning moon.
The crescent shape is also very closely affiliated it with feminine energy and connectedness, in addition to fertility and birth cycles. The crescent loosely became an early feminist symbol connoting the mystery and strength of the female. Crescents express the ephemerality of life through its foreseen and unforeseen ebbs and flows; it reminds the wearer of life’s fragility while also encouraging the life-giving relationship with the Divine, as the cyclical nature of life is, itself, a story of ceaseless and promised redemption. The crescent shape is believed to be a nurturing and watchful eye, a motherly protective agent for its wearer with ancient and cross-cultural roots.
The crescent's pearls are gems often used to speak to virtue and purity, their coloration reflecting the same. In tantalizing harmony with the crescent shape and its manifold symbolism, the iris flower echos the feminine sentiments of the moon. The opening iris of this brooch is enameled in a vivid red-orange color that ombrés to golden yellow at the flower's base. The color is meant to evoke passion and fertility, while the diamond embedded in its core is an emblem of perpetuity and fortitude.
During the Art Nouveau movement, irises were also references to muliebrity and feminine beauty. "Iris" etymologically derives from the ancient Greek "ἶρις", meaning 'rainbow', and was personified as the goddess Iris. Iris was a messenger of the gods, and was represented by the arc of the rainbow, which the Greeks perceived as a visual connection between the sea below and the clouds above. It was this chromatic connection from which the Greeks believed that Iris herself helped to supply and sustain the cycle of water, from oceans to clouds to rain-- in short, she ensured the continuation of life.
Even the famous Nouveau-era artist Alphonse Mucha is well known for his depictions of feminine subjects, often draped in the gauzy sheets reminiscent of ancient Greek attire, and enswirled with nature's embrace. Indeed, there is a layered interconnectedness and unquestionable intentionality that weaves together the elements of Art Nouveau design and harkens to humanity's roots in ancient times and earth's pleasures, the worldly delights that, themselves, transcend time.
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