Henry Dunay Textured Platinum, Tahitian Pearl, and Diamond Double Drop Necklace

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Henry Dunay Textured Platinum, Tahitian Pearl, and Diamond Double Drop Necklace

About the Item

This elegant, ~18.5 inch 'hammered' platinum necklace by acclaimed designer Henry Dunay drapes beautifully when worn, centered by two Tahitian pearls that dangle with designed asymmetry. This necklace - which essentially received its own entire page in one of Henry Dunay's catalogues (see photo 5) - originally retailed for $124,200. One of this necklace's great artistic triumphs is how the disparate elements - Tahitian pearls, diamonds, and 'hammered' platinum - are made to effectively match. Pay close attention to the second photo, taken on a white background with a simple overhead (artificial) light - note how the 'flashes' where the light reflects from the pearls and from the 'hammered' facets of the platinum so closely match the apparent color of the diamonds. In this necklace, 3 different elements are seamlessly integrated together in what must have taken enormous trial and error even from an artist as skilled as Dunay. Another example of the immense design effort that went into the necklace is how it is engineered to fall beautifully and accentuate the contours of a woman's body both when worn 'traditionally' from the front, and when draped behind to complement an open-backed dress or similar garment. The clasp on the chain itself is barely noticeable when worn - enabling the necklace to be worn down one's back comfortably while appearing, from the front, to be a beautiful hammered platinum chain. View the last photo - an image taken directly from Henry Dunay's official catalogue - for an idea as to how it drapes when worn from behind. Note that, unusually for Dunay who often cluttered his catalogue pages full of numerous pieces, there is only one other piece of jewelry on display throughout the entire page - the elegance and simplicity of the double Tahitian pearl drop necklace is fully capable of standing on its own. On the Uniqueness of Dunay's "Hammered" style: Despite being marketed as the 'hammered' style due to its resemblance to the textured pattern created when precious metal is struck by a hammer or other flat surface, Henry Dunay's 'hammered' style actually has nothing to do with hammering whatsoever. Henry Dunay used a metal wheel rotating at high speed - a modification of the traditional cutting wheel used to cut and facet gemstones - to essentially 'polish' away the metal and create the textured finish. Although subtle - and requiring substantially more labor and expense - Dunay's technique actually overcomes a known deficiency of producing a 'hammered' finish through physical hammering: metal stretching. When metal is struck, it is stretched in such a way that microscopic holes are opened up in the metal's surface. While not visible directly, these holes do not reflect light and so subtly worsen how light interacts with and reflects from the metal. Henry Dunay's 'polishing' technique overcomes this deficiency because the friction generated by the rapid rotation of the wheel lightly melts the metal's surface and fills in the holes/porosity that would have been generated by the hammering/stretching process. As a result, if you compare a Henry Dunay 'hammered' item with hammered jewelry from another manufacturer, Dunay's hammered items should be just that subtle bit nicer. The two Tahitian pearls are approximately 14mm and 15.8mm in diameter. Total Diamond Weight: Approximately 6cts Signed, Numbered, Stamped 950 Pt

Creator:
Henry Dunay
Metal:
Platinum
Stone:
Diamond,Pearl
Stone Cut:
Round Cut
Dimensions:
Width: 0.75 in (19.05 mm)Length: 18.5 in (469.9 mm)
Style:
Modern
Period:
Late 20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 2000
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1948210015822

Shop All Henry Dunay

Henry Dunay

Henry Dunay is one of the finest goldsmiths and jewelry makers of the 20th century. The seasoned American designer has for decades created exquisite jewelry by hand that is characterized by bold proportions and precise craftsmanship. Dunay’s breathtaking brooches, bracelets, rings and other accessories have garnered worldwide renown and — on the secondary market — are being reappraised by collectors as icons of contemporary design.

Dunay was born Henry Loniewski in Jersey City, New Jersey, and apprenticed for a downtown New York City jeweler named Rudolph Cacioli in his early teens. He spent a little less than seven years working under Cacioli, and set off to open his own business in 1956. He took on his mother's maiden name Dunay, believing his family name would be an obstacle to his success. At first, Dunay secured work designing pieces for other jewelers, including Harry Winston, one of the first figures in the field to recognize the branding power of lending glitzy fine jewelry for red-carpet events. As his skill set broadened, Dunay began handcrafting his own designs and built a name for himself.

Dunay’s business exploded thanks to the publicity around the De Beers Diamonds International Award he won in 1967. From then on, his fame grew and demand increased for his unique adornments, which feature distinctive metal finishes as well as blue sapphires, pavé set diamonds and a range of other gems. Dunay went on to win more awards from De Beers Diamonds and a wealth of other national and international awards throughout his career.

Dunay garnered acclaim for a sophisticated engraved-surface technique he calls Sabi, which draws on the traditional Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, and iconic figures such as Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana all wore his elegant pieces for public appearances. At the 2003 Academy Awards, many celebrities donned Dunay’s Dove of Peace pin, commissioned by Global Vision for Peace and inspired by the work of Pablo Picasso. The designer is a member of the Gemological Institute of America and a past president of the American Jewelry Design Council. In 2009, he sold his company and later established H.D.D., Inc.

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