Description
A large flower head worked in onyx and diamonds, mounted in 18K yellow and white gold. Four wide petals are inlaid with onyx, each one edged with a scalloped line of brilliant-cut diamonds, and a diamond cluster sits at the centre of the bloom. The effect is graphic rather than delicate: flat black stone against white brilliance, held in warm gold.
Below the flower the stem tapers into a line of baguette-cut diamonds, with a diamond-set leaf breaking off to one side. Baguettes sit edge to edge and read as a continuous ribbon of light, which gives the lower half a cleaner, quieter line than the fuller head above it.
The piece is fitted as both a brooch and a pendant. It can be pinned at the shoulder or lapel, or hung from a chain — a useful thing at this scale, which measures 70 mm and weighs 29.12 grams. It comes from the collection of a French film actress of the 1960s. In good condition, with the light wear and surface marks of a jewel that saw use.
