Victorian Reverse Intaglio Essex Crystal Bird Brooch

Fine quality micromosaic, depicting a King Charles Spaniel dog on his cushion, set as a brooch in 18ct gold. Dogs were a symbol of faithful love. The King Charles Spaniel breed was extremely popular amongst the English aristocracy, especially during the Victorian period, when Queen Victoria herself doted upon her spaniel, Dash. Although the Greeks and Romans had used mosaics for many centuries, it was the Italians who developed the art of micromosaics in the Vatican at the end of the 18th century. The Napoleonic expedition to Egypt in 1798 led to a great revival of classical interest and was reflected in the subject matter of the micromosaics, many images came from Roman murals...

18ct gold & silver set Art Nouveau Diamond Opal Pendant/Brooch dated circa 1900 Five round opals with an articulated pear shaped opal drop, very well matched with lively play of colours and iridescence in reds, greens, blues and gold. Set in 18 carat yellow gold claw collets Two main transitional cut (old mine) diamonds 0.70ct. Mix of old mine and rose cut diamonds in an 18 carat yellow gold with “silver Set” channel setting , approx 1 ct total. G/H/I, VS2-SI2. Total diamond weight: approx 1.7carats Setting diamonds in gold with a thin layer of silver, “silver set”, was a technique used in the Georgian/Victorian/Art Nouveau period as white coloured gold and platinum were not yet available. A very thin layer of silver was applied to the gold, on which the diamonds were set, to show them off to their best advantage (as the yellow would reflect and distort the white colour of the diamonds). The Art Nouveau period was a short lived but worldwide movement which reached its peak at the end of the 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th Century. It had its roots in the Pre Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements in Britain in the 1860’s. Artists, such as William Morris, took their inspiration from the flora and fauna of nature and rejected the mass industrialisation and mechanisation of the Victorian age. Art Nouveau continued with this theme and has a distinctive appearance with soft, curved shapes and lines and often depicted natural designs such as flowers, birds and the female form. Before the Art Nouveau period, the emphasis had been to design pieces with an emphasis on gem stones, diamonds, rubies emeralds etc. However, during the Art Nouveau period, jewellers adopted the idea of using other semi–precious stones “from nature” such as agate, garnet opal, moonstone, aquamarine and experimented with a wide variety of new techniques e.g. enamelling. The “New Art” style became a worldwide movement encompassing all disciplines of the arts, and world class artists as far afield as Gaudi with his “modernisme” architecture in Spain, Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York with objects, Galle Glass in France and the Liberty & Co Archibald Knox designs in Britain, Jugendstil in Northern Europe and Faberge in Russia. The movement flared brightly but briefly and by 1910 it was already going out of style to be replaced by Art Deco. Detachable 18ct brooch...

Jugenstil Diamond Pendant Brooch, circa 1890 18ct yellow gold and silver set, diamonds. Setting diamonds in silver, “silver set”, was a techni...

An 18ct Cross with Rubies and Diamonds circa 1850 Single row of Calibré cut natural colour rubies framing a diamond set foliate central design. Single...

Fabulous Edwardian Period Equestrian Essex Crystal pendant/brooch in the shape of a beautifully detailed gold saddle. The cabochon crystal engrav...

An impressive vintage Essex crystal reverse intaglio and 14 karat yellow gold 'sailboat' tie clip; part of our diverse vintage jewelry and estate jewelry collections. This fine and ...

An outstanding antique, late Victorian era Essex crystal horse brooch or pin. A reverse carved and enamelled rock crystal cabochon depicting a bri...

This delightfully scruffy three dimensional terrier has been intaglio carved into a rock crystal cabochon and hand detailed with fine paint brushes. The cabochon is backed with a glo...