Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Mastery of Design: Over 100 carats of Fun, Diamond Earrings from the British Museum

Diamond Earrings
This and all related images from
The British Museum

Created between 1940 and 1950, this pair of platinum and diamond earrings contains two large pear-shaped unmatched Indian diamonds.  One is 50 carats, while the other weighs in a 55 carats.  They are hung from platinum mounts set with smaller baguette (baton-cut) diamonds. The pair still resides in the original red leather, fitted case.

The pear-shaped diamonds, while spectacular, do not match, obviously, in size, nor exactly in shape.  This owes to the fact that the diamonds were not cut to match, but rather to highlight their best clarity.  The difference would have been much less obvious when worn.  But, really, if you're wearing over 100 carats, who cares if they are exactly the same?

Strangely, the jeweler is unknown.  They're made in the Western style popular during the period in America and Europe, and they could have been produced on either continent.

Now housed in the British Museum, the earrings were given by an anonymous donor.  Click on the images to enlarge them.

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