Fine Jewels And Watches November 2017
Lot 2176:
Designed as a cicada, the wings are of green and blue colored plique-à-jour, body set with cushion cabochon black opal and pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds, embellished with vari-cut Paraíba tourmaline accents and eyes, mounted in 18K yellow gold, black opal weighing approximately 9.15 carats, diamonds weighing approximately 1.45 carats in total, length 10.00 cm
Plique-à-jour, meaning ‘letting in light’ in French, is an enameling technique that creates beautiful transparent gem-like material. It is commonly used in jewelry and décor pieces – an iconic style of the Art Nouveau period. Each piece of plique-à-jour can only be handcrafted individually, by shaping the paper-thin gold wire strips into a filigree framework, then filling the specially formulated plique-à-jour mixture into each openwork cell. The delicate filigree work allows light to penetrate through the translucent material, creating a luminous, see-through finish. Every step of the procedure requires high level of precision and skilled craftsmanship. Such expertise not only is time-consuming, it is also known to have a great deficiency rate. It is without doubt that the exquisite artistry makes each piece of plique-à-jour one of a kind.
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