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RARE Antique Art Noveau Plique a Jour Butterfly brooch
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RARE Antique Art Noveau Plique a Jour Butterfly brooch
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attention COLLECTORS !
Extremely rare art noveau plique a jour butterfly brooch 18k gold, diamonds, sapphire This is a VERY rare opportunity to obtain a stunning piece of estate jewelry. First popular with the general public in the late 19th century, the art of plique a jour enamelling of fine jewelry truly burst onto the scene during the Art Noveau period with the work of master jeweler Rene Lalique. True plique a jour is HIGHLY coveted and increasingly difficulty to find - indeed, almost impossible to find for less than $1,000. My photographs do absolutely no justice to this extraordinary piece. It is perhaps one of the finest examples of the technique that I've ever come across and truly breathtaking in the light. The butterfly motif, along with the beloved dragonfly, was a favorite among Europe's master jewelers. In addition to the workmanship, this brooch is also adorned with a flawless sapphire and two diamonds. I should be asking a much higher price for this brooch, but the truth is that I've inherited a large estate of jewelry that I am unlikely to ever wear and this particular piece is just too stunning to languish in a vault. DO NOT let this rare and unique opportunity pass you by. For your interest, I've included some background on this difficult technique below. Thank you for viewing and good luck if you decide to bid. A little about Plique-A-Jour Probably the single most important technique used by Art Nouveau designers was enameling. Considered a technical "tour de force" in enameling, this most beautiful and most difficult of enameling techniques - plique-a-jour , (which loosely translates as "light of day") - is sometimes referred to as "backless cloisonné" because of the appearance of the fine gold filigree wire "veins" running through areas of transparent and translucent glass (vitreous) enamel . Again, Plique a'jour is defined as enameling that is transparent with no backing. The effect most often achieved by Plique a'jour enameling is likened to that of stained glass. The technique of applying this type of enameling was extremely difficult and very popular because it exemplified the jeweler's skill and artistry. It is, indeed, a very difficult technique and requires the ability to create the finest filigree of gold entirely by hand, and then to apply the brilliant colors of vitreous, glass like enamel which fuses with the metal. The metalwork forms an intricate frame or skeleton into which the enamels are applied, but t is no backing material to the frame so the enamels have to fuse with the metal to create the finished surface. Plique-a-jour jewelry is most often created commencing with a thin sheet of gold. The sheet is pierced or cut using fine art specialty tools to create the pattern into which paste enamels will be applied. W a backing material is used, it is later removed by dissolving or polishing after the piece is completed. Another lesser used technique in the manufacture of plique-s-jour is to suspend wires in soft molten clear enamel which rests on a copper base. This assembly is subsequently enameled in the chosen colors and the base is removed. This is the technique employed in most reproductions of the original Art Noveau form and cannot compare to an authentic Plique A-Jour piece. The appearance of plique-a-jour enamels readily brings to mind the skilled craftsmanship of great Art Nouveau jewelers and artists such as Rene Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Peter Carl Faberge . 
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