Amongst jewels and precious stones the spotless white pearl is perhaps the favourite, but, as proved at the last great Exhibition in Paris, the pale rose-coloured coral from the East runs it very close. Diamonds are still set in the old-fashioned way – that is to say, after simple designs, the best of which are copies from Renaissance or baroque models. Only now and then is any attempt made to produce lightly incised representations direct from Nature of flowers, birds, or leaves. Of course, bouquets of brilliants and leaves consisting – entirely of diamonds have always been easily made at any period ; but what is now aimed at for that very reason is the evolution of designs which shall be essentially true to Nature, but at the same time really artistic. Crude masses of naturalistic flowers are really of no account whatever, for a bouquet of diamonds can never have the exquisite charm of a fresh, sweet-smelling bunch of real’ blossoms. Only a fairly good design, founded on some flower or leaf which can be satisfactorily reproduced in, and is, so to speak, en rapport with, the jewels to be used, can succeed in pleasing through beauty of form alone, independently of any association. Good examples of the best style of ornament in which precious stones are used are the necklace, figured herewith, with the earrings to match, by Roset and Fischmeister. In them the natural form, which has been the motive from which the design was evolved, was the fruit and leaf of the rare plant known in Germany as the Gingopflanze. The delicate separate stems are worked in dull gold, and the way the joining is managed cannot fail to be admired, whilst the single stems are in platinum. The charm and distinction of this piece of jewellery is due above all to its beauty of form, in other words it is not the gross value of the precious stones with which it is set which makes it a worthy possession, but the skill with which the motive has been worked out.
Viennese jewellers do not use the colourless precious stones much. They generally combine jewels with enamel, and also with what they themselves call the coloured Halbedelsteine, or half-jewels, such as the agate, onyx, cornelian, and other less valuable precious stones. The modern tendency is in every case to rely upon colour and line for effect rather than upon massive form, so that the greater number of new designs, or of revived designs of the past, require for their satisfactory treatment what may be almost characterised as a new technique.
Gold and diamonds Art Nouveau clasp by Austrians Roset and Fischmeister.
Working in enamel is of course an independent art in itself, and to begin with, I must remark that, as a general rule, beautiful as are the colour effects produced by Viennese craftsmen, it is impossible to reproduce exactly the delicate charm of the original sketches from which the designs are worked out. Very good results can, however, be obtained in what the French call email a jour, or email translucide, as well as in the old-fashioned opaque enamel. It would, however, be out of place here to attempt to describe the various modifications of what mav now be called an international art.
- W. Fred.
Modern Austrian Jewellery (1902)
Editor’s Note: Please keep in mind that foregoing was written in 1902 and all opinions and social comments are those of the author and not necessarily shared by Antique-Trails.com.
