Antique Art Deco Diamond Set Enamelled Platinum Crest of the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars

Antique jewellery object group: brooch

Condition: excellent condition

Country of origin: Although it does not carry any legible control marks we believe this to be of British origin.

Style: Art Deco – Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style which had its origins in Paris in the first decades of the 20th century. The style originated in the 1920s and continued to be employed until after World War II. The term “art deco” first saw wide use after an exhibition in 1966, referring to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts D√©coratifs et Industriels Modernes that was the culmination of high-end style modern in Paris. Led by the best designers in the decorative arts such as fashion, and interior design, Art Deco affected all areas of design throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including architecture and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern.

Style specifics: Abstract motives and geometrical forms are quite typical for the Art Deco period. Art Deco moved away from the soft pastels and organic forms of its style predecessor, Art Nouveau, and embraced influences from many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative.

Period: ca. 1920

Source of inspiration: Militaria

Theme: Crest of the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars

Material: platinum

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).

Extra information: The 4th Queen’s Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, to form the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars in 1958.

The battle honours of the regiment were as follows:
Early Wars: Dettingen, Talavera, Albuhera, Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, Peninsula, Ghuznee 1839, Afghanistan 1839, Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, Sevastopol.
The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914, Armenti√®res 1914, Ypres 1914 ’15, Langemarck 1914, Gheluvelt, St. Julien, Bellewaarde, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1914-18.
The Second World War: Gazala, Defence of Alamein Line, Ruweisat, Alam el Halfa, El Alamein, North Africa 1942, Coriano, San Clemente, Senio Pocket, Rimini Line, Conventello-Comacchio, Senio, Santerno Crossing, Argenta Gap, Italy 1944-45, Proasteion, Corinth Canal, Greece 1941.

Its last Regimental Colonel (between 1941 and 1958) was Sir Winston Churchill.
From: Wikipedia.

Diamond(s): 68 single brilliant-cut diamonds (also called 8/8) with an estimated weight of ± 1.00ct.(colour and clarity: F/G, vvs/vs).

– All diamond weights, colour grades and clarity are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.

Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April.

Hallmarks: No trace.

Dimensions: height 3,07 cm (1,21 inch)

Weight: 4,70 gram (3,02 dwt)