Byzantine Style Emerald and Ruby Filagree Yellow Gold Bow Brooch Pendant

Details

Description

Dramatic 18k yellow gold filagree bow brooch pendant featuring a leaf and scroll design accented with cabochon emerald and man … Read more Dramatic 18k yellow gold filagree bow brooch pendant featuring a leaf and scroll design accented with cabochon emerald and man made faceted rubies. The back has a "c" clasp and a hook so you can wear it as a pendant / enhancer as well. The rubies are synthetic and the emerald cabochons are cracked - I believe this piece was made during World War II and they used family stones and what they could get their hands on.

3.8" across by 2.35" wide

This piece is in the Byzantine Style. Below is the history of Byzantine Jewelry from Lang Antiques:

Byzantine jewelry was a full continuation of the Roman traditions which were kept alive behind the high walls of the new capital, Constantinople. The Roman techniques and styles continued to form the foundation of Byzantine goldsmith‘s skills who weren’t complete copycats; some innovations such as the use of Christian iconography and further specialisation of new and old techniques occurred. Production in the old jewelry centres of Alexandria and Antioch gave way to an increased production in Constantinople. Byzantine jewelry had a huge influence on the manufacturing of personal decoration in the rest of the Medieval world. The Carolingian (start 742 AD) and the later Ottonian courts (start 962 AD) were linked to the Byzantine empire and adopted their fashion resulting in the northern European Romanesque jewelry style.
In the Byzantine Empire jewelry played an important role. It acted as a way to express one’s status and as a diplomatic tool. In 529 AD Emperor Justinian took up laws regulating the wearing and usage of jewelry in a new set of laws, later to be called the Justinian Code. He explicitly writes that sapphires, emeralds, and pearls are reserved for the emperor’s use but every free man is entitled to wear a gold ring. This may tell us something about the widespread use and great popularity of jewelry. One could easily argue that there hadn’t been a need for such a law if jewelry had been a purely aristocratic phenomenon.
The Byzantine Empire was wealthy. It had gold mines within its borders and its geographical position was perfect for trade between the East and West. Successful traders, military officers, and high officials in the empire’s administration would all have been in the position to afford luxurious jewelry. In an attempt to keep jewelry exclusive Justinian ruled that only he got to decide who wore the finest jewels by presenting his favorite ‘servants’ with presents from the imperial workshops. It is important to note that the emperor’s monopoly didn’t mean that only a few high ranked people wore jewelry, on the contrary, all other precious stones and gold, in general, were allowed to be worn. Items that are expected to be made in the imperial workshops have been found throughout the empire. These items could have been diplomatic gifts to local rulers or have been carried there on the bodies of military leaders and diplomats of the empire itself. See less