Arts and Crafts Pendant

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Duncan Parker
AN ART NOUVEAU AQUAMARINE AND GOLD HEART PENDANT, CIRCA 1910

AN ART NOUVEAU AQUAMARINE AND GOLD HEART PENDANT, CIRCA 1910

Lot 202 in the upcoming Dupuis auction November 24, 2013. This beautiful hand made pendant, dated 1913, seems to be a blend between Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. The centre features a panel with a clear cover on the front, and an engraved back with an inscription commemorating a 25th wedding anniversary. The transparent cover allows for the insertion of a photo or other item, perhaps a swatch of colour to pick up a theme in your wardrobe.

I was curious, and tested the clear cover, and it turns out to be rock crystal quartz. As a gemmologist, I was impressed that the cutter oriented it perfectly to be along an optic axis, so it is in a singly refractive direction, and the photo below would not look fuzzy due to doubling. In a polariscope, it perfectly shows interference colours between crossed polarizing filters, and a bullseye optic figure.

Rock crystal quartz in polariscope

Rock crystal quartz in polariscope

Rock crystal quartz in polariscope

Rock crystal quartz in polariscope

For more information about this pendant, go to: http://bit.ly/17BltGs

About Duncan Parker

Duncan Parker, FGA, FCGmA, CAP (CJA), Vice President. Duncan is a columnist and contributor for industry magazines and journals. He has been an instructor of the gemstone course at Ryerson University, the Gemmology courses of George Brown College and Canadian Gemmological Association as well as instructor Master Valuer Program with the Canadian Jewellers Association. A renowned expert, he speaks regularly at international gem and jewellery conferences and symposiums, as well as at less formal events. He has served as President of the Canadian Gemmological Association since 1995. Before joining Dupuis Auctioneers, Duncan was a director of research at Harold Weinstein Ltd., a leading and respected jewellery appraisal company.
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