Antique Diamond Brooch in Silver on Gold, Vienna Circa 1895

It is the sweeping so-called whiplash ornament of the just beginning Art Nouveau that gives the design of this brooch its dynamism. Inward and outward sweeping lines are arranged in a point-symmetrical composition and center an arrangement of three old European cut diamonds. Additional diamonds set the powerful sweeps. A total of about 0.78 ct of diamonds have been set, in silver on reddish gold, typical of the period. Brooches rather than necklaces were the appropriate jewellery for the high-collared dresses of the 1890s, which often covered the neckline and the neck even in the evening. Worn in the center of the neck, brooches adorned the collar where a pendant or necklace would otherwise adorn. In 1899, for example, the U.S. magazine The Jeweler's Circular wrote: "With the more distinctly feminine fashion of dressing the neck in soft silk, dainty embroideries and laces, which women are now rapidly adopting, the brooch becomes more than ever necessary." (My Lady's Jewel Box, in The Jeweler's Circular, Feb. 1, 1899, p. 12.) The brooch proves that this fashion was also followed in Europe, for it was made in Vienna and bears the maker's mark "J-G" of a Viennese goldsmith. However, since the outline is incomplete, no clear attribution can be made: The jewellery could have been made by either Josias Goldschmidt or Josef Geier. Both goldsmiths were active in Vienna from the 1890s.

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