This marquise-shaped brooch is set with a convex red glass panel, centered with a silver flower vase, encrusted with rose-cut diamonds. The design is completed by a border of rose-cut diamonds.
It is quite rare to find this brooch with a red background: a giardinetto is often set in a royal blue glass panel. The brooch is fitted with a c-clasp and has a little flower engraving at the back.
Diamond-encrusted floral arrangements like these are also known as a 'Giardinetti', which means tiny gardens in Italian. This design was first created in the second half of the 18th Century when ladies and gentlemen would gift each other tiny flower jewellery as a token of friendship and devotion. The trend is believed to have been brought to Paris by Venetian goldsmiths, hence the Italian name.
This particular brooch was however not made in the 18th Century, but in the early 20th Century by renowned Dutch jeweler J. Roozendaal, who was famous for creating rose-cut diamond jewellery in an era when these were still very fashionable, but not many jewelers were able to use the techniques needed to set rose-cut diamonds. This brooch is therefore a lovely antique tribute to an even older jewellery design.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 36 x 18 x 8 mm.
Weight: 7.20 grams
Age: Early 20th Century, circa 1900.
Material: The brooch carries no longer carries any gold assay marks but has been acid tested as being 14k gold and silver. It also carries the hallmark 'JR3' for the Dutch jeweler J. Rozendaal, who operated between 1884 and 1923.
Condition: This brooch is in good antique condition with only minor wear, consistent with its age. One tiny diamond in the rim of the vase is missing, but this is barely noticeable when worn. The ring shank is currently open, which allows the ring to be resized if needed: this will be soldered close upon purchase.
Read more about how to take care of rose-cut diamond jewellery here.
Please note that this shop is based in the EU. Buyers from outside the EU might be subject to import taxes and/or VAT.