29.75 Carat Diamonds & 18K Gold Carlo Illario e Fratelli Vintage 1980s Bracelet

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29.75 Carat Diamonds & 18K Gold Carlo Illario e Fratelli Vintage 1980s Bracelet

About the Item

Gold and diamonds are two of the most iconic materials in the history of jewellery. For millennia, they've been used to create all kinds of different jewels. The inventiveness and the sheer variety of designs that have been made using just these two materials never ceases to astonish us. The design at hand is abstract – and yet its perfectly joint links, its smoothness and its reflective diamonds let us think of the skin of a snake that elegantly glides around the wrist. Whether as a symbol of eternity around 1800, as a sign of love in the Victorian age or representing seduction in the years around 1900, the snake has been a recurring motif in jewellery. The goldsmiths who executed this bracelet, Carlo Illario e Fratelli, are known to have crafted exceptional modern jewellery, but always with an eye on tradition and meaning. The surface of the bracelet is comprised of 175 baguette-cut diamonds of wonderful quality, weighing a staggering 29.75 ct overall. They show a very good colour and clarity, thus breaking up the light in all the colours of the rainbow, an effect known as the fire of a diamond. At times the surface appears gleaming white, at others it is broken up into a hundred colourful reflections. Diamonds are set onto each link, yet allow a little yellow gold to peak through between, so that the bracelet, despite all its luxurious white sparkle, retains a warm appearance. The piece is typical of the 1980s, being of massive gold and appearing three-dimensional. It fits the decade's aesthetic of "power dressing", based on the then-popular book "Dress for Success", that announced a new type of woman: strong and self-confident, she dressed in a way that would transport these qualities in her style as well. Rather than long rope necklaces or delicate bracelets, the successful woman of the 1980s loved large-scale statement jewellery that was worn close to the body and did not restrict her going about her busy schedule. This kind of jewellery valued quality of material over decorative ornaments, just as our bracelet: despite its wealth of precious gemstones and gold, its design is tastefully understated. According to its first owner, the bracelet was purchased in the mid-1980s in Düsseldorf, the German jet set's favourite city of that time. It was made, however, in Valenza, Italy, by Carlo Illario e Fratelli, who are also known for having produced jewellery for Bulgari in the 1960s. Their high quality standards and meticulous attention to detail are immediately visible in this piece as well. A perfectly preserved vintage bracelet with a glamorous past, ready to be worn again! MATERIALS 175 diamonds, baguette cut, approx. 29.75 ct altogether, Top Wesselton/F-G, vvsi–si Gold 750/000, resp. 18 karat HALLMARKS Italian fineness mark "750" as well as maker's mark "★26 AL" for Carlo Illario e Fratelli, Valenza on the clasp DIMENSIONS Length approx. 19.0 cm / 7.48 in Width 1.2 cm / 0.47 in CERTIFICATE Delivery with detailed independent certificate of the DEGEB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Edelsteinbewertung/German Association for Gemstone Evaluation) in Idar-Oberstein dated 11.06.2019. Estimated value: 105.000,- Euro.