A Rose by any other name…
One of the cleverest ways of setting stones is the use of invisible
setting techniques. Here’s a quick…ten second course on how it’s
done. You all know tongue-in-groove paneling? Same way for invisible
setting. One side of a square stone is tongue… the other side is
groove. Stones fit into each other. Appearance is that nothing is
holding the stones together. Simplistic explanation for a bit more
complex process…but enough for this Tidbit.
The finest jewelry houses spare no expense in the manufacture of their
product…and that’s why is costs so much. I personally know one firm
that employs full-time in-house diamond cutters in order to fit each
stone precisely into the mounting for which it is intended. That
said…let’s go back to 1935 and Van Cleef & Arpels: The perfecters of
invisible setting.
In the 1930’s and 1940’s invisible setting came into its own. It was a
huge success. Marlene Dietrich–anyone out there remember her Lily
Marlene…I never get tired of listening to that song…or watching
that woman–Marlene Dietrich wore a wide sapphire cuff bracelet set
in this style. Mrs. Simpson of fame wore a holly leaf brooch of
rubies and diamonds invisibly set and given to her in 1936 by Edward
VIII. I mention these folks for those of you who love the
inebriatingly heady world of name dropping.
It was, however, Van Cleef & Arpels that brought the rose into
prominence and created an enduring 20th century classic piece of
jewelry. Cufflinks, earring, bracelets, powder compacts, and even
lipstick cases…nothing escaped the ever growing popularity of
invisible setting. And…for those of you who may lament the passing
of an era when quality ranked far above the flash-for-cash mentality
that seems to pervade each nook and cranny of our lives… let me
assure you…invisible setting is alive and well today… and growing
and growing in popularity.
So…what more can I say about a rose?..or even a Van Cleef & Arpels
rose? That in 1988 it was sold in a Christie’s sale? That in 1991 it
was estimated to be worth a cool $290,000 US? No matter…I will say
this. It’s a stunner…our little rose is. Nine petals of rubies
invisibly set in a brooch of 18 karat gold and platinum. Pav� diamond
leaves and a baguette diamond stem form the bottom portion of our
flower. Take a look at it folks…and now that I’ve told you how it’s
done…take a closer look yet. You will find it amazing.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the table menu till you get to the box that says
Tidbits…and inside the box where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on
the link that says: Rose…where you will see a graphic of a flower
by any other name…
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next
week. Benjamin Mark
TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com