Description
This is an incredible, statement pendant firmly attributed to H G Murphy from the early decades of the twentieth century. His work is always so finely executed and this huge pendant has to be the largest I have seen of its kind by him. I recognised the very particular stylised leaves, small coiled tendrils and the silver balls dotted throughout the design as being typical of his pieces. The stylised split bale I found on one of Murphy’s original design sketches, which was a lovely further confirmation to add to the attribution.
The pendant makes such a bold statement and yes, the hand crafted silver details must have taken hours upon hours to create, however, for me the insanely clever use of the stones is the hidden gem to this piece. The large opal is perhaps from Lightning Ridge, as it is electric in colours. You see the electric greens, reds, oranges and so on on what is quite a pale blue base. Clever, I mentioned and here goes what I have just discovered. Murphy has selected and set the stones in such a way so that at a certain angle blue seems to shroud both stones simultaneously, ie, the blue adularescence of the moonstone becomes evident just as the cloudy blue of the opal is dominant. Then move the pendant to another angle and the blue disappears from the moonstone, whilst the vibrant and electric greens, blues and reds of the opal become evident. I am sure this is no coincidence. I hope you can see what I mean on the images. The opal is wonderful! The small moonstone is set in a scalloped setting, which I have also seen in other Murphy pieces.
It is a genuine pleasure to find such a large Murphy piece, especially set with such a lovely opal. It is a rare piece and I’m pretty sure one-of-a kind. I am selling without a chain as the bale is huge and would easily accommodate a chain of your choice. This is truly a gem of a piece.
The pendant measures approx 7cm in height by approx 3.5cm in width. In excellent order throughout.
I shall send in a new gift box by special delivery within the UK or else by express courier internationally. Box in images is not included, thank you.
Ref:cyq
