Tiffany & Co. Diamond Carnation Brooch
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Tiffany & Co. diamond and Tsavorite garnet brooch, circa 2005, modelled as a carnation, the petals pave-set with brilliant-cut diamonds from a calyx accented with circular-cut tsavorite garnets supported by a tapered stalk embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds between sculpted leaves decorated with tsavorite garnets, the diamonds weighing a total of approximately 16.50 carats, mounted in platinum and 18ct gold, length approximately 135 mm, signed Tiffany & Co., Literature, John Loring, Tiffany style, 170 Years of design, Abrams, New York, 2008, p. 37 (illustrated, another example). Other Notes: the life sized 'Lawson Pink' carnation brooch was designed by G. Paulding Farnham for the Tiffany & Co. Display at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in buffalo, New York. Tiffany's chief jewellery designer from the mid-1880s till 1904, Paulding's large-scale flowers were amongst his most distinctive applauded creations, and were received with great international acclaim and firmly placed Tiffany on the international map. His works are recognized as the first true masterpieces of American jewellery design. The carnation brooch featured was commissioned as a later day special order.
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- Garnet - A garnet is a mineral that is commonly used as a gemstone. It occurs in a wide range of colours, including red, pink, orange, green, yellow, and black. The most common and best known type of garnet is the red variety, which has a deep, rich colour and is often referred to as a "garnet red."
Garnets have a long history of use as gemstones, and they have been prized for their beauty and durability for thousands of years. They are often used in jewellery, such as rings, necklaces, and earrings, and they are also sometimes used as a decorative element in other items, such as vases and goblets.
Garnets are prized for their brilliance, durability, and resistance to scratching, making them a popular choice for use in jewellery. They are also valued for their hardness, which makes them well suited for use in abrasive applications, such as sandpaper and grinding wheels. - Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Tsavorite - Tsavorite is a green coloured garnet, first discovered by a British geologist, Dr Campbell R. Bridges in 1961 in Zimbabwe while working for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
Unable to obtain a mining permit, he began prospecting in Tanzania and in 1967 made a second discovery of Tsavorite in northern Tanzania in 1967. Dr Bridges commenced mining the deposit, but the mine was nationalised by the government, so Dr Bridges moved to Kenya, where he made a third discovery of the mineral at the end of 1970.
Tiffany & Co. began promoting the then unnamed mineral in 1973 in association with Dr. Campbell, and it was agreed it should be named Tsavorite, after the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, near to where it was mined.
Dr Bridges died aged 71 in 2009 on his property in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, when he and his son were attacked by a mob in a dispute over mining rights.
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