Antique Victorian Rose Cut Diamond Chandelier Earrings

In these Victorian chandelier earrings with an 18ct red gold back, 44 rose cut diamonds set on foil drape down as a drizzling silver wisteria. With leaves and diamond buds growing from two suspending gold branches into every direction, the last five downwards degrading diamonds dangle by the littlest breeze and invigorate these jewels into living vines.

Antique jewellery object group: earrings long hanging

Condition: excellent condition

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

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.

Style specifics: The Romantic Victorian Period – Experts divide the reign of Queen Victoria, also called The Victorian era (1837 – 1901) into three periods of about twenty years each; The Romantic Victorian Period (1837 – 1860), The Grand Victorian Period (1860 -1880), and the Late or Aesthetic Victorian Period (1880 – 1901).

We consider this to be of the Romantic Victorian Period. This period covers the coronation of Victoria as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and her marriage to King Albert and their love, their devotion to their marriage and to their country are the sources of inspiration for this period. The jewels of this period are made of intricate carvings, special techniques where the enamel is subtly worked. These techniques allowed to give the jewel a certain opulence with less precious metal needed. As precious metals were really rare at that time. Highly favoured (semi-) precious stones in this period are amethyst, coral, garnets, seed pearls and turquoises. The connotation is obviously sentimental, symbolic and romantic with reminiscent Gotic and/or renaissance patterns and an abundant use of motifs like anchors, birds, branches, crosses, hearts and snakes.

Period: ca. 1850

Source of inspiration: Mother Nature

Theme: hanging flower

Material: Silver on top and backed with 18ct red gold.

Technique: The rose cuts are set on foil. This is a special technique that was used to bring the lustre of the diamonds to its best quality.

Extra information: Most likely these earrings come from either a tiara or a big branch brooch and have somewhere in its history been skillfully transformed into earrings.

Diamonds: 44 rose-cut diamonds. We do not have the weight of the diamonds which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cuts.
Note: 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.

4
Hallmarks: No trace.

Dimensions: height 8,20 cm (3,23 inch)

Weight: 18,00 gram (11,57 dwt)