each comprising of hexagonally cut richly coloured amethysts, supported by six claws decorated with opalescent light blue enamel over a chevron ground, each claw connected by curving armatures decorated with opaque white enamel with black beading, the amethyst seeming to float within the cradle created, a circular collar sits beneath the gallery, decorated with a sunburst of white enamel backed by deep green translucent enamel with further black and white painted chevrons and beading, the pin in rose gold.
Stamped: ‘C.G’ for Carlo Giuliano
Presented in their original gilded and tooled red leather case by Guichard, the lid satin stamped ‘C.Giuliano, 115 Piccadilly, London.’
Amethysts 1.7 cm across. pins 16.7 cm in total length
Provenance
Exhibited:
No. 133 in ‘Castellani and Giuliano: Revivalist Jewellers of the Nineteenth Century’ held at Wartski, 14 Grafton Street, London in March, 1984.
Illustrated
Page 148 (illustration 163) of ‘Castellani and Giuliano: Revivalist Jewellers of the Nineteenth Century’ (Munn, 1984).
The way in which the amethysts are mounted appears to be an impossibility, as how can the stone be mounted without damaging the enamel? The claws could not have been enamelled with the stone in situ, as it would have cracked. This magic trick was achieved by adding dummy claw tips, which were soldered into places once the stone was in position. This itself would have been incredibly difficult process to achieve.