Elegant Bow Necklace With Diamonds, Probably Italy Circa 1900

In the years around 1900, the curved, natural forms of Art Nouveau were associated primarily with artists, with the bohemians of the time - in short, those who wore striking Art Nouveau creations liked it rather daring. Especially in aristocratic circles and among the wealthy bourgeoisie of the time, fashion developed instead toward more classic, timeless forms. The gallant forms that had already dominated the reign of the French king Louis XVI more than a century earlier were used as a model: laurel wreaths, garlands and even bow motifs adorned high-quality diamond jewellery for the evening. A reminiscence of the time of Marie Antoinette, interpreted in the style of the Belle Époque, is also this necklace from the years of the penultimate turn of the century. Its showpiece consists of a graceful bow ornament set entirely with diamonds. In the center, a multi-piece suspension of flower-set, cushion-shaped diamonds swings down from the bow. Its end forms a large oval in the center of which glitters another diamond in the so-called old mine cut. The elements are movably connected to each other. This allows the piece to nestle softly against the décolleté, yet does not appear rigid with all its festivity. In total, about 1.48 ct of diamonds are processed. The pendant is made of patinated silver and gold plated on the back. Thus, the skin will not be blackened when worn. Presumably, the piece of jewellery was made in Italy. Not only has it survived in a case made by the Palermo jeweller Matranga, but Italy held on to the use of silver longer than the rest of Europe was already using platinum for white jewellery. The attention to detail and the moving, pendulum design is what distinguishes the jewellery of the turn of the century. In this way, what was demanded of modern jewellery in a contemporary book was also fulfilled: "[...] jewellery must not only nestle sensibly to the human form, but must also bring it to its right advantage, put certain characteristics of the form favorably into the right light. Otherwise it cannot lay claim to the name jewellery." (Hermann Barth, Das Geschmeide, vol. 2, Berlin 1903, p. 13.)

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