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French Belle Epoque 18ct Gold, Green Garnet & Diamond Frog Brooch

641S
Rare Find
Written by Olly Gerrish

A fabulous 18ct gold novelty brooch, as they were called, of a frog. It was made in France circa 1910 and is full of detail and good workmanship with a hook on the reverse that may have been used to hang something from. His body has been set with graduated green garnets or demantoid garnetds which is the correct name for these stones. Although garnets have been known since ancient times, the demantoid variety was not discovered until 1868 in Russia’s western central Ural Mountains. Miners were immediately stunned by the highly refractive nature of the gem material. They began comparing it to diamond and referred to it as “demantoid”, from the French “demant” meaning diamond. The reason is obvious, with its high brilliance and dispersion. These bright apple green stones are comparatively rare and very expensive as they are no longer mined. In the early 1900s they were a celebrated stone and many items of jewellery were set with these beautiful stones. He has rose diamonds beneath his mouth and around his belly and diamond set eyes. There is a baby frog in our collection that is the smaller version of this one so you could wear both together!

Ollys Pick

The best!

Item Number
641S
Measurements
Length 2.8cm
Width 2.2cm
Green garnets approx total weight 0.60 carats
Diamonds approx total weight 0.10 carats
Rose diamonds approx total weight 0.20 carats
Date & Origin
Provenance
English
Hallmarks
Marked with the eagle's head (French mark for 18ct gold)
Condition
Very Good
Discovered
3 years ago
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