Garland of Joy : Arts And Crafts Era Foliate Bracelet with Large Australian Opal Doublet

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An astonishingly beautiful opal bracelet from the turn of the 20th Century, circa 1890 – 1910. Delicately handmade in sterling silver with 9ct gold details and set with a truly incredible Australian opal doublet. The entire bracelet is covered in tendrils of rose gold leaves and dogwood or orange blossom flowers, a popular motif from this time period.

The Arts and Crafts movement in decorative and fine arts originated in England in 1880, but spread to the USA and Australia before the turn of the century. The period championed a return to handmade, one of a kind or small run artworks (in contrast to mass produced and machine made items). The movement is admired for its use of high quality materials and for its emphasis on utility in design. Jeweller practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement often favoured semi-precious gemstones and frequently worked in silver rather than gold. The emphasis was on authenticity, originality and the handmade.
This is an exceptionally high quality Australian made example from this brief but iconic time period.

Opal doublets are often frowned upon by modern opal enthusiasts (and I would  usually agree) but antique doublets are in a completely different class than those available today. To transform a thin but vivid slice of gem quality opal into something durable and suitable for wear an opal cutter would fuse the opal slice with potch (colourless opal) backing to give the stone substance and durability, as is the case with the large and vibrant doublet that features in this bracelet.

Manufacture:
Delicately handmade in sterling silver with 9ct rose gold details. The bracelet is hallmarked Stg Sil and 9ct in a small plaque at the back. The silver links are made to curve around the wrist, each one is covered with organic tendrils of leaves and flowers in 9ct rose gold.

The centrepiece of the bracelet is a large Australian opal doublet, held in a bezel setting and framed with leaves and flowers in gold.

The opal measures 28.8mm x 17.4mm and is secured to a domed piece of grey and black marbled opal potch.

The bracelet is 24.2mm wide at the face, with the delightful handmade links of the band measuring 9.9 to 7.1mm wide.
Weighs 16.1 grams.

Closes with a fold-over safety clasp that is cleverly incorporated into the floral details.

Measures 17cm long. Will fit a 16cm – 17cm wrist.
The bracelet can be made a full centimeter shorter with the removal of one of the links.

Comes in its original Angus and Coote box.

Condition:
The bracelet is in outstanding antique condition, with no faults to note. The opal has a hairline fracture that is only visible in some lighting conditions, and only just reaches the surface of the stone. I spoke with several opal specialists about the crack to ascertain if it was stable, they assured me that it had been there for a long time and was unlikely to progress. I was strongly chastised when I asked about replacing the stone and assured it would be impossible to find anything of equal quality on the market today.

Description

An astonishingly beautiful opal bracelet from the turn of the 20th Century, circa 1890 – 1910. Delicately handmade in sterling silver with 9ct gold details and set with a truly incredible Australian opal doublet.

The oval shaped opal measures 28.8mm x 17.4mm.
The bracelet is 24.2mm wide at the face, with the delightful handmade links of the band measuring 9.9 to 7.1mm wide.
Weighs 16.1 grams.

Closes with a fold-over safety clasp that is cleverly incorporated into the floral details.

Measures 17cm long. Will fit a 16cm – 17cm wrist.
The bracelet can be made a full centimeter shorter with the removal of one of the links.

Comes in its original Angus and Coote box.