Art Deco diamond ring with spectacular 6.28 crt Colombian Muzo emerald

From October 21st, 2013 till December 9th, 2013, this jewel was exhibited at the Art Deco exhibition organised by the Antwerp Diamond Museum in their Diamond Pavilion at the MAS. The MAS is an abbreviation for Museum aan de Stroom which translates to something like "Museum to the Flow". A new landmark building in Antwerp, a must-see when you are in Antwerp, city of diamonds! To see all our Art Deco jewelry that was at the museum's exhibition, click here.

An impressive 6.28crt Colombian Muzo emerald is the pinnacle of this classic Art Deco engagement / anniversary ring. The alluring emerald of an astoundingly brilliantly vibrant green is swathed in 46 alluring old brilliant diamonds (1.5crt) making it a truly priceless handcrafted platinum jewel – circa 1920. Pure indulgence best describes the splendid majesty of this superb vintagemasterpiece!

Antique jewelry object group: engagement ring (or anniversary ring)

Condition: excellent condition
  -  (more info on our condition scale)

Country of origin: Although it does not carry any legible control marks we believe this to be of Belgian origin.

Style: Something between Art Deco and Belle Époque - Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style which had its origins in Paris in the first decades of the 20th century. The style originated in the 1920s and continued to be employed until after World War II. The term "art deco" first saw wide use after an exhibition in 1966, referring to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was the culmination of high-end style moderne in Paris. Led by the best designers in the decorative arts such as fashion, and interior design, Art Deco affected all areas of design throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including architecture and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern. See also: Art Deco

The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms. In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era. or more info on styles

Style specifics: This is something between Belle Époque and Art Deco.

The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century from the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and lasted until World War I (1914-18).

Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms.

In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era.

In the Belle Époque cheap coal and cheap labour contributed to the cult of the orchid and made possible the perfection of fruits grown under glass, as the apparatus of state dinners extended to the upper classes; champagne was perfected during the Belle Époque. Exotic feathers and furs were more prominently featured in fashion than ever before, as haute couture was invented in Paris, the centre of the Belle Époque, where fashion began to move in a yearly cycle; in Paris restaurants such as Maxim's achieved a new splendour and cachet as places for the rich to parade, and the Opéra Garnier devoted enormous spaces to staircases as similar show places.

After mid-century, railways linked all the major cities of Europe to spa towns like Biarritz and Deauville; their carriages were rigorously divided into first-class and second-class, but the super-rich now began to commission private railway coaches, as exclusivity was a hallmark of opulent luxury. Bohemian lifestyles gained a different glamour, pursued in the cabarets of Montmartre.

Art Deco
Abstract motives and geometrical forms are quite typical for the Art Deco period. Art Deco moved away from the soft pastels and organic forms of its style predecessor, Art Nouveau, and embraced influences from many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative.

Period: ca. 1920
  -  (events and facts in 1920)

Material: platinum
  -  (more info on precious metals)

Extra information: Colombian emeralds - For over 4,000 years, emeralds have been among the most valuable of all gems on earth. Colombia, South America, is by many believed to be the country that mines and produces the finest emeralds in the world. In the eastern portion of the Andes, between the Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments, is where most Colombian emeralds are mined. The three major mines in Colombia are Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor.Muzo remains the most important emerald mine in the world to this date. The terms Muzo and Chivor do not always refer to the particular mines that carry the same name. Instead, the two terms, originating from the local indigenous language, often describe the quality and color of emeralds. Muzo refers to a warm, grassy-green emerald, with hints of yellow. Chivor, on the other hand, describes a deeper green color.

Historians believe the indigenous Indians of Colombia mastered the art of mining as early as 500 AD. But Spanish Conquistadors are the ones who are credited with discovering and marketing globally what we now call Colombian emeralds. Colombia, during pre-colonial times, was occupied by Muzo Indians, who were overpowered by Spain in the mid 1500’s. It took Spain five decades to overpower the Muzo Indians who occupied this entire mining area. Once in control, the Spanish forced this native, indigenous population to work the mining fields that it previously held for many centuries.

Monarchs and the gem-loving royalty in India, Turkey, and Persia eventually sought the New World treasures once the gems arrived in Europe. These new emerald owners expanded their private collections with spectacular artifacts bedazzled with emeralds between 1600 and 1820, the time frame of Spain's control over the Colombian mines. After Colombia’s independence from Spain in 1819, the new government and other private mining companies assumed mining operations. Over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, these mines were periodically shut down numerous times because of political situations within the country. (from Wikipedia)

Inclusions in emeralds are generally accepted and not necessarily considered to be bad. They are called the "jardin" of the stone which is French for "garden". These inclusions are to be seen in almost every emerald and constitute an acceptable, sometimes attractive, flaw.

Diamonds: 46 old brilliant cut diamonds with a total estimated weight of approx. 1.50 crt.
Note: All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.

Total diamond weight: approx. 1.50 crt.

Precious stones: One emerald with a weight of 6.28 carat (see pictures for the IGI certificate)
  -  (more info on precious stones)

Birthstones: Emerald is the birthstone (or month stone) for May and diamond for April.
  -  (more info on birthstones)

Hallmarks: No trace.
  -  (more info on hallmarks)

Dimensions: size of stone 1,10 cm (0,43 inch) x 1,04 cm (0,41 inch)

Weight: 7.80 gram (5.02 dwt)

Ring size Continental: 53 & 17 , Size US 6¼ , Size UK: M

Resizing: Free resizing (only for extreme resizing we have to charge).
  -  (more info on ring sizes)

Reference Nº: 13056-0050

Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewelry

platinum jewelry, jewelry with diamond, jewelry with emerald, latest acquisitions,
antique jewelry, estate jewelry, vintage jewelry or modern jewelry

Jewelry with birthstones (or month stones) for:
January - February - March - April - May - June - July
August - September - October - November or December.


Additional information:
jewelry glossary - wall of fame - visit us in Antwerp - subscribe to our mailinglist.


What is antique jewelry? - What is estate jewelry? - What is vintage jewelry?