Description
A unique and completely fabulous piece of hand-crafted Arts and Crafts jewellery by Amy Sandheim, London and of the late 1920s era. Amy’s “peasant jewellery”, as she called it, was impressively bold and statement, especially in the selection of gemstones she chose to adorn her pieces.
The gems and colours on this wonderful brooch are exceptionally well-chosen and make such a striking statement-you cannot fail to be wowed! Amy has used foiled water opals in this piece, as the main stone and I am always amazed at how they look so different depending on the angle and the light. There is a general purple to yellow ombre to them, with some looking slightly more blue than purple. When you study the opals, particularly the top layer, with a jeweller’s loupe, you see the electric purple “veins” that really play with the light. Each opal so incredibly different to the last. The foiled backing in the settings simply elevates the glory of the colours even further. Other stones in the design, include a Swiss lapis to the centre, amethysts and also carnelian cabs, which I’m guessing are also foiled as they look more like fire opals here. Very vibrant in their red/orange hues. There are natural inclusion lines etc on the central Swiss lapis stone, all natural characteristics and not damage.
The overall design is typical Amy, creating a large and stunning statement. The large oval opals on the outer edge of the brooch at first look uniform, however, when you look carefully you see that the cardinal point stones are simply bezel-set and the opals in between are also bezel-set but with a tiny ropework detailing at their base. The vibrant red/orange of the carnelians and the deep plum of the amethysts enhance the richness of the colour scheme. It is tantalisingly fabulous-who doesn’t love Amy Sandheim’s jewellery-each unique, as she made her own pieces by hand.
In pleasing condition-I would say all original, with the stones all having been inspected. No chips or flea bites either…hurrah. The original pin and original safety catch feature are pleasing to have, as well as adding a layer of security when wearing this large piece. Remember to keep water and other liquids away from closed-back stones like this when cleaning. The brooch measures approx 6cm by 6cm.
I will send in a new gift box as the boxes in the images are for display only. International express courier is included, as is special delivery within the UK. Thank you.Ref:din
