Estate - antique Art Nouveau c. 1900 - 1910 - Plique a Jour enamel 900 silver butterfly necklace by Heinrich Levinger - rare - fabulous
This wonderful butterfly pendant is signed on the back 'DEPOSE 900' and conjoined 'HL' the maker's mark for Heinrich Levinger. The chain which is original to the pendant is not marked but tested as 900 sterling just like the pendant.
Depicting plique a jour enamel, sparkling faceted bezel set green stones (I believe peridot glass) and seed pearls in the shape of a stylized butterfly with plique a jour wings in shades of green and rosy pink, enhanced with a pearl dangle.
Plique a Jour enameling looks like stained glass windows with no metal backing to let light shine through, a form of art which was developped in France, a difficult technique that required a lot of expertise.
The pictures were taken in bright daylight and my semi transparent plastic model did an excellent job... the shades of green are a little darker than shown in the pictures but just like stained glass windows the colors are effected by lighting.
Measurments: the necklace is 16 inches long when opened, the drop from top of the round stone to the bottom of the pearl dangle is 2 inches , the butterfly alone (not including the pearl dangle) is 1 &1/4 inches wide and 1 inch high, the oval green stones are approx. 6mm x 4.5mm, the pearl dangle is approx. 9mm x 3mm, the total weight is 8 grams.
The necklace is in excellent condition for a delicate piece which is about a 100 years old, no chips no cracks on the plique a jour panels, however looking through a jeweler's loupe I noticed few faint hairline surface scratches, a couple (on part of top right panel) are barely visible to the naked eye. The stones and pearls are original to the pendant, the stones are sparkling, the pearls have a nice lustre. Original Art Nouveau enamel jewelry is hard to find and this necklace is a beauty!
The pictures are enlarged to show detail, please refer to measurments, the last was taken next to a dime. Thanks
______________________________________________________________________________________
PAYMENT METHOD: PAYPAL OR A POST OFFICE MONEY ORDER EXPECTED WITHIN 7 DAYS AFTER END OF AUCTION.
INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS PAYPAL ONLY PLEASE. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING FEE IS $27.00 BY EXPRESS MAIL WITH TRACKING .
IF YOU HAVE 0 FEEDBACKS PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE BIDDING.
I LEAVE A FEEDBACK AFTER A FEEDBACK IS LEFT FOR ME.
_____________________________________________________________