Designs for Necklaces, Bracelets, Brooches, Earrings, and Other Jewelry of the Second Empire

Lithograph with several designs for jewelry in the style of the Second Empire (1852-1870), characterized by extravagant motifs with complex compositions of naturalistic jewelry, composed of clearly recognizable foliage, flowers and fruit. In many cases, the colors of gemstones used in the creation of the jewels were meant to match those in nature; cabochon gems were popular elements to create complexity in curving and figurative designs, often with symbolic meanings. This plate contains a variety of designs, including a necklace made up of a snake that interlaces around itself and a rope, decorated with diamonds and pearls, two designs for hand fans with stylized flowers and leaves, interlacing ribbons, and love trophies (a pair of loving birds on one, a bow and arrow on the other), a watch chatelaine with stylized flowers and leaves, and c-curves, and several other designs for brooches, bracelets, rings, and earrings, executed with yellow, white, and gray over a black ground, and possibly intended to be manufactured using a combination of yellow gold and silver, possibly platinum, diamonds or brilliants, pearls, and other (semi-) precious stones.