A French Late 19th Century 'drop Tassel' Brooch.

H. 5 cm (2 inches)
Gold (18k - 750) ; Total weight 8,5 gr
ca. 1860


Exquisite French brooch from the third quarter of the 19th century, embodying the period's taste for elaborate polychrome jewelry combining precious materials and decorative enamel work. The piece is based around a beautifully colored central oval cabochon ruby, set in a gadrooned gold mount and topped with a fine pearl finish. The ruby is framed by an openwork cartouche of coiled gold ribbons enhanced with black champlevé enamel and punctuated with rose-cut diamonds set in tremulant.

Three articulated pendants depend on the central motif, each composed of a fine drop pearl, an oval cabochon ruby in a gold setting, and a gold tassel set with diamonds ending in a sharp point. The alternation of the warm pink tones of the rubies with the creamy lustre of the pearls, all set against the dramatic contrast of black enamel and brilliant gold, creates a particularly striking chromatic effect, characteristic of the Second Empire taste.