Design for a Gold, Emerald, Pearl and Diamond Brooch

Drawing with a design for a gold, emerald, pearl and diamond brooch, part of a modern scrapbook with 38 sheets showing designs for jewelry with pearls, diamonds and other (semi-)precious stones all done in watercolor and heightened with gold, characteristic of the period between 1870 and 1930, which saw some of the most extravagant and innovative trends in jewelry design. By the second half of the nineteenth century, the naturalistic compositions of earlier decades had become more complex, and the colors in nature mimicked by the color of gemstones used for jewelry design. In the last years of the century, designs for jewelry had become even more elaborate and relied in the natural beauty of cabochon gems, curving, and figurative designs with symbolic meaning, typical of the Arts and Crafts movement. Towards the end of the nineteenth and through the first decades of the twentieth century, diamond jewelry was re-interpreted to create the new 'garland style', and the Art Nouveau movement created sinuous and organic pieces that moved away from conventional stones and put emphasis on the subtle effects of materials such as glass, horn and enamel. During the 1920s, the economic boom following the war saw an increased glamour in jewelry design, with sharp, geometric patterns that celebrated modernity and the machine age. Art Deco jewelry is characterized by dense concentrations of gemstones and the use of platinum in place of gold, with inspiration from all over the world, especially from the Near and Far East. Like most of the drawings in the album, this design is fully rendered with gouache, showing not only the styles for the jewelry designs, but also suggesting choices of precious metals, stones, and other materials to be used in the creation of the jewels. It is also possible that these designs are real-sized, allowing the customer to visualize the jewel fully from this presentation drawings before commissioning its manufacture.

This design for a brooch is made up of a circular motif consisting of a cushion cut emerald in the center, surrounded by two circles, one formed by round diamonds and the other formed by cushion cut diamonds, with four pearls spread evenly around the circumference. The circular motif is flanked on each side by a cushion cut emerald with three small diamonds on the sides over gold semi-circles. From the circular motif in the center hangs an inverted triangular motif with a cushion cut emerald with two small pearls on the sides, from which hang three strings: the one in the middle consists of two hanging pearls from which a gold triangular motif with a cushion cut emerald, and the two others consist of two round pearls and a teardrop pearl. From the two corners of the triangle closest to the circular motif hang two gold triangles that end with cushion cut emeralds with two small pearls on the sides. Two teardrop pearls hang from the semi-circles flanking the central motif.