18ky Pearl Bird Brooch with Ruby

Sourced from our Estate collection

A lovely whimsical bar style brooch featuring silver south sea baroque pearls, fashioned into 3 character filled birds atop a branch. The birds are 18k yellow gold & set with ruby eyes.

$3,500.00 (CAD)

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Estate pieces are exchange only.

Details

Material

18k Yellow Gold

Stones

Baroque Saltwater Pearls, Rubies

Size

50mm x 17mm

Weight

13.86g

Condition

Like New

Want to try it on? Come visit us at Halifax, NS

Created:2023/06/06 16:33

About

Retro Era

(1940 - 1950)

This era was born in 1937 at the ‘International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques in Modern Life’ by Paul Leon who believed the event would revive the creativity and variety within the world of Arts and Jewellery. 

During this Era platinum and precious metals were once again rationed for the war effort. Making yellow gold the metal choice of the time. Various alloys were used to create thinner sheets of metal which gave jewellers a chance to experiment with new finishing techniques. With these new alloys came various shades of gold, sometimes seen in a single piece. Gemstones were also in short supply meaning a lot of pieces were made with more metal versus housing gemstones. Less expensive stones became more popular including topaz, amethyst, aquamarine and citrine. Diamonds were reserved for the use of pave settings and as accent stones. It was not uncommon during this time to commission a bespoke piece using metals and gemstones already owned.

Larger silhouettes were preferred in cocktail rings, necklaces and bracelets. Often featuring scrolls, fans and flowers, which was quite a contrast from the geometric lines of the Art Deco Era. Snake chains were popular as they gave a large, bold look without the use of as much metal. As the Art Deco era came to a close, society took a step towards the modern styles we see today due to the people beginning to view the Art Deco style as distastefully luxurious during the start of World War II.

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More Retro Pieces Learn more about the Retro era

Pearl - Calcium Carbonate

Developed inside the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk, pearls are hard and lustrous. First used as jewellery in 420 BC, the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess from that time was found wearing a fragment of pearl jewellery. Although round is considered the preferred shape, pearls come in a multitude of silhouettes. Baroque pearls are irregular, non-spherically shaped and make up most of the cultured freshwater pearls we find today. There are four main cultured pearl varieties. Akoya pearls are saltwater pearls that are white or cream with some hints of pink and green. Tahitian pearls are saltwater pearls that range in colour from eggplant purple, peacock green, metallic grey and greyish blue. They are found in Tahiti and generally range from 7-12mm. South Sea pearls are saltwater pearls that can come in a variety of silver, white or golden and are commonly sourced along the northwest coast of Australia. Ranging from 8-16mm, they have been known to reach up to 20mm. Freshwater pearls are typically cultured in lakes and ponds and come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colours. Pearl is the birthstone for June and ranks between 2.5-4.5 on the Mohs hardness scale.

Browse other pieces in our collection More Pearl pieces