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Buying antique jewellery is both ethical and eco-friendly as harmful and destructive mining processes are not needed to make an item yours. So give yourself a pat on the back!
Find Out MoreA rare and finely made 18ct75% pure gold (or 750 parts pure gold and 250 parts other metals) gold eagle brooch by the well known maker Gaston-Eugene-Omar-Laffitte and made circa 1880-1900. Lafitte is also well known for his plique-à-jourA French term that translates (as nearly as can be determined) to “letting in the daylight” and defines a type of transparent enamel that has no backing. Similar to a stained glass window, the design has a metal outline filled with various coloured transparent, glass-like enamels.
First discovered in the 15th century by Benvenuto Cellini, plique... enamelA pigmented glass-like material used in powdered form and fused onto the metal surface of a piece of jewellery. techniques. Winged female figures were a specialty. He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salons. He also produced small silverA metallic element which is malleable and ductile, and white in colour, making it ideal for use in jewellery. It is usually mixed with copper to improve its hardness.
repousséThe raising of a pattern in relief on metal by beating from the under side. and engraved accessories such as matchboxes, mirrors and lorgnettes. This brooch has a removable brooch fitting as it can also be worn as a pendant. The eagle is clutching an old mine cutAn 18th, 19th and early 20th century diamond shape, typically cushion or asymmetrical, marked by a small table, a high crown and a large culet. Culets are the small flat facets at the bottom of a stone which appear to the untrained eye as a hole in the middle of the stone. Before the advent of modern machinery which allows for the precise faceting we see tod... diamondA precious, lustrous gemstone made of highly compressed carbon. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials known to mankind. Colours of diamonds range from colourless, yellow, orange and brown to almost black. Natural coloured (or ‘fancy’) diamonds can be extremely rare. The cut, colour, clarity and carat weight of a diamond are the criteria jewellers use... in his claws. It is in a platinumDerives from the Spanish word 'platina' meaning 'little silver'. Acknowledged since the 1900s, platinum's durability and natural brightness has been and still is today highly treasured A metallic element prized for its rarity, whiteness, high tensile strength and insusceptibility to corrosion, platinum first became widely used in jewellery in the late ninete... setting as the French started to use platinum about twenty years earlier than the English jewellers.
French marks on pin & clasp
Monogram for Gaston Lafitte
Numbered 5221
Buying antique jewellery is both ethical and eco-friendly as harmful and destructive mining processes are not needed to make an item yours. So give yourself a pat on the back!
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