Falling in love again.....

I haven’t looked at jewellery for a while, but when I saw this dazzling beauty my heart skipped a beat:

A jeweled brooch from the Colmar Treasure. PHOTO: MUSÉE DE CLUNY/MUSÉE NATIONAL DU MOYEN ÂGE/RMN-GRAND PALAIS/ART RESOURCE|, NY

Beware of the Scorpian! ..symbolising power & wealth

Gold Asante (Akan/African) Scorpion Finger Ring. Circa 1900/1950

(The gold itself was also believed to be the earthly embodiment of the sun, and thus the force of life itself)

Image: Detroit Institute of Arts

~ Bracelets of Nimlot.

Date: 940 B.C.

Authority: Ruler Sheshonq I

Place of origin: Sa el-Hagar

Period/culture: 22nd Dynasty

Medium: Gold, lapis lazuli

Unique ...

Philippe Wolfers (1858-1929), Art Nouveau 'Glycines' choker. Gold, carved watermelon tourmaline, carved opal, ruby, garnet; marked Ex: Unique' for Unique Issue, number 126 of the Catalogue of Unique Items by Philippe Wolfers and numbers 108 and 111 of the workshop Brussels - Designed circa 1900-1901. Fine Jewels Period

Image: © TEFAF 2018

Hidden in plain sight ...

Gold spray brooch of three enamelled flowers. The floral spray incorporates a tiny miniature portrait of King Charles I, set under a flat crystal at the centre of an enamelled rose. It is a fine example of trembler jewellery, which allows the flowers to move, or “tremble”, imitating the movement of natural flowers. c. 1650.

Image: National Museum of Scotland

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/?item_id=20873

The Art of de Grisogono The De Grisogono 163.41-carat D-color flawless diamond suspended from an asymmetric necklace with a trailing on the left side of 18 emerald-cut diamonds and to the right two rows of pear-shaped Emeralds. It took 14 craftsmen more than 1,700 hours to create the necklace. It broke the record for the world's most expensive D-Flawless diamond when it sold at Christie's in Geneva in November 2017 for $33.7 million (£25.6 million); Designed by Fawaz Gruosi, Founder and Creative Director of de GRISOGONO; the diamond was extracted from the Lulo mine in Angola Further information & a short documentary can be viewed at https://theartofdegrisogono.com Image: Christie’s

Wreath of ivy and berries .... Gold Greek Classical (4th–3rd century B.C.) funerary Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255180

Remembrance ...’Am I not a man and a brother?’ ..Yes, thou art a man and brother, Though thou long has groaned a slave, Bound with cruel cords and tether From the cradle to the grave! ......... Yes, thou art a man and brother, Though we long have told thee nay; And are bound to aid each other, All along our pilgrim way.. (Extracts from The Anti-Slavery Harp compiled by William Wells Brown Boston: Bela Marsh, 1848) Images: The Wedgwood medallion was the most famous image of a black person in all of 18th-century art. Josiah Wedgwood, Britain's renowned potter, was a man of conscience, deeply interested in the consequences of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. From 1787, this iconic image appeared on medallions and plaques to promote the abolition of the slave trade. The cameo was used by both men & women for personal ornament on snuff-box lids, shoe buckles, hair pins, pendants, and bracelets. Many versions of the image also found their way onto the surface of artifacts made in ceramic, metal, glass and fabric. On this day: Remembering 500th anniversary of one of history’s most tragic and significant events – the birth of the Africa to America transatlantic slave trade. On 18 August 1518 the King of Spain, Charles I, issued a charter authorising the transportation of slaves direct from Africa to the Americas. Over the subsequent 350 years, at least 10.7 million black Africans were transported between the two continents. A further 1.8 million died en route. Further information: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/transatlantic-slave-trade-voyages-ships-log-details-africa-america-atlantic-ocean-deaths-disease-a8494546.html National museum of American History http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_596365 Wedgwood Museum http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/learning/discovery_packs/pack/lives-of-the-wedgwoods/chapter/slavery

18K gold and white gold Cabochon cut Emerald & Rose Cut Diamond Brooch. Designed by Barbro Littmarck (1918-2008/Sweden) for W.A Bolin.

Unusual ... Brooch by Georges Bastard (1881-1939): Mother-of-pearl & pearl, with an engraved vegetal decor. Circa 1906. Image: Robert Zehil Gallery, Monaco

The Thistle for bravery, devotion, determination .. Gold, enamel, diamond, opal necklace by Lucien Gaillard. Circa 1903 Translucid enamel thistles circled by diamonds. The hearts are decorated with grapes in opal.

Sacred Hawthorn ... Art Nouveau diamond, enamel and glass Hawthorn brooch by Rene Lalique (Circa 1899 - 1901) Christie’s (In Celtic mythology the Hawthorn is one of the most sacred trees and symbolises love and protection. It is also known as the Fairy Tree, as fairies apparently live under the Hawthorn as its guardians)

Enchanting Emeralds ....with the power to expose spells or illusions & reveal the truth or falsity of a lover’s vows. Queen Victoria’s Diamond & Emerald diadem. Designed & commissioned by Prince Albert; Created by the Queen’s Jeweller, Joseph Kitching, and presented to Victoria in 1845 On display at Kensington Palace as part of Victoria revealed. © HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES Source: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/queen-victoria-and-jewelry

Silver choker plaque with enamel and pearls.  Made in Pforzheim.

A rock crystal ball talisman mounted as a pendant in silver and decorated with stylised roses at each end. The sling mount is early seventeenth century and is decorated with punching in the form lozenges and pellets. Abrasions to the ball suggest that it might be considerably earlier then the silver work. It is contained within a fitted wooden case lined with velvet and covered in shagreen. English?, c.1620. Photographs: Author. Source: https://innerlives.org/2018/03/19/the-sphere-of-magical-thinking-the-enchanting-history-of-crystal-balls/

Harry Bertoia (USA) brooch. Circa 1942. Hand forged and riveted brass Source: http://scandinaviancollectors.com/post/152429813560/harry-bertoia-rare-brooch-usa-c-1942-material

A Symbolist necklace, by Charles Boutet de Monvel, circa 1900. Composed of gold, silver, opals, glass, rubies, pearls and diamonds . © The Richard H. Driehaus Museum