94 rose-cut diamonds all encrusted in silver carry you through this 14K red gold Russian Victorian brooch, starting from the stringed musical instrument’s head with miniature tuning pegs and via the draping strap over to the body embellished with a diamond rim and blue enamelled inlay frills. Besides the diamond soundhole and bridge, it’s the eight cabochon cut rubies in the nut and the bridge pins and the two seed pearls next to the chords that make this mandolin reach its crescendo.

Antique jewellery object group: brooch

Condition: excellent condition

Country of origin: Russia (Transcaucasia)

Style: Victorian – Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior decoration. Victorian design is widely viewed as having indulged in a regrettable excess of ornament. The Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the late Victorian era.

Period: ca. 1910

Source of inspiration: Musical instruments

Theme: Mandolin, or perhaps more likely the four-string domra.

Material: 14k red gold and silver, see also: The silver on gold technique

Technique: Enamelling is an old and widely-adopted technology. The ancient Egyptians applied enamels to pottery and stone objects. The ancient Greeks, Celts, Russians, and Chinese also used enamelling processes on metal objects. Enamel is the colourful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. The powder melts and flows and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass or ceramic. According to some sources, the word enamel comes from the High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail. Used as a noun, “an enamel” is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coatings, such as a champlev√© or a cloisonn√© (different techniques).

Diamonds: 94 rose-cut diamonds. We do not have the weight of the diamonds which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cuts.

Precious stones: eight cabochon cut ruby. We did not check if the ruby is lab produced or not as this information has no influence on the value of this jewel. Natural rubies and lab produced rubies were both used in this era, rather more for their effect than for their intrinsic value.and two seed pearls

Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April, ruby for July and pearl for June.

Hallmarks: Pre-revolution Russian hallmarks for 14K gold. Hallmarked in Transcaucasia, known because of the letter ‘O’ in the hallmark. This hallmark was used between 1908 and the Russian Revolution in 1917. Furthermore, we found a French control mark that indicates that the piece has been imported to France…
If this piece could only talk… What amazing story would we hear?

Dimensions: Width 6,13 cm (2,41 inch)

Weight: 11,60 gram (7,46 dwt)