Antique Lavallière with Diamonds & Pearls in Platinum on Gold, Hanau c. 1908

Lavallières or negligee necklaces were a popular form of jewelry in the early 20th century. While in the USA the term lavallière was used to describe all necklaces with pendants on delicate chains, in Europe - especially in Germany - this term referred to a more specific form of necklace: namely those with two pendants of unequal length. The term "négligé necklace" alludes to the casual elegance of such asymmetrical pieces of jewellery, as it is derived from the French word for "careless". Whatever you call it, this necklace impressively demonstrates the elegance of such a piece of jewellery. At the center of a platinum anchor chain is a small pendant adorned with sparkling diamonds in small platinum leaves. They hold delicate pendulums with a large cushion-shaped old-cut diamond and a blister pearl attached to the ends. Blister pearls are pearls that have grown in the shell. They are mounted on a piece of mother-of-pearl and look like a full round pearl when viewed from above. They were popular in early 20th century jewellery, as pearls were sometimes as expensive as diamonds of the same size before the invention of pearl culturing. The large diamond in the other pendulum is also interesting. It weighs almost one carat and has a clearly perceptible, light yellow color: the necklace thus varies in different shades, from the bright white of the small diamonds and platinum to the creamy tone of the two pearls and the warm yellow of the large diamond. This gives the piece of jewellery a certain warmth, despite its cool, elegant look. We were able to purchase the necklace here in Berlin. The model was in the offer of the Hanau jeweler W. Behrens around 1908, see last illustration. The small deviations can be explained by the fact that not all natural pearls are the same - and that diamonds were often sent in by customers to have stones from heirlooms reused. This also appears to be the case here, as the large diamond has the cut and hue that were more commonly found in the last third of the 19th century.

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