A sublime antique Art Nouveau brooch hailing from Germany. Crafted in 800 silver and superb quality the brooch is in the stylised form of a Gingko leaf and features beautiful Plique-a-jour enamelling in vivid peacock colours of green and blue. The edges of the leaf are accented in seed pearls and a tooth shaped rare Mississippi river pearl dangles from the bottom.
The brooch is a miniature work of art and it is stamped with a makers mark that is difficult to read, it looks like the intertwined 'HL' mark used by Henrich Levinger & Bissinger, of Pforzheim, Germany
Plique-à-jour (French for "letting in daylight") is a jewellery technique where glass enamel is poured into a silver or gold framework and fired so light can shine through the translucent enamelled spaces. Essentially a miniature version of stained-glass, it is an extremely challenging technique with a very high failure rate. German Plique-à-Jour jewellery hailing from the Art Nouveau era is particularly desirable and highly collectable today.
MATERIALS: 800 silver, plique-à-jour enamel
GEMSTONES: 8 natural seed pearls 2.5mm diameter, 1 Mississippi river pearl drop 8.5x7.5mm
MEASUREMENTS: 1-1/2 inches across and 1-3/4 inches high (approx. 38x45mm)
DATE: circa 1900, Art Nouveau/Jugendstil
WEIGHT: 4 grams
HALLMARKS: Stamped '800' along with a makers mark. Also stamped "Gesc HU" (for Geschutzt, a German mark for patent protected).
CONDITION: In excellent antique condition with no enamel loss and the pin back in perfect working order. The pearl drop looks jagged at the base in the photos but the edges are smooth so it is likely its natural form rather than breakage. We have more photos & video of this piece on our website at www.mercymadge.com
At Mercy Madge we offer antique and vintage jewellery that is special and each piece is hand selected by us for you. We rarely come across two identical old treasures, once they are gone, they are truly gone!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SHIPPING - FREE SHIPPING worldwide, orders are despatched next business day and sent with full tracking and insurance.
RETURNS - you can return your item for a full refund for any reason. Just get in touch within 3 days of receiving your order if you wish to do so.
DISCOUNT? - find special discount and no sales tax on our website at www.mercymadge.com
BUYING A GIFT? - all items will arrive gift wrapped in a Mercy Madge custom jewellery box.
LAYAWAY? - we offer a free layaway plan on any item over £150. A 25% deposit will secure and reserve the item for you with the balance due in 60 days. If you would like to place an item on layaway, please send us a message and we will assist in setting this up for you.
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Materials: Plique a Jour Enamel, 800 Silver, Mississippi River Pearl, Seed Pearls.