17th Century silver on gold diamond riviere necklace. The necklace features 50 foiled rose cut diamonds and the closure is further embellished with 11 table cut rose cut diamonds, demonstrating the attention to detail and skill that went into making this necklace. The pendant features a central heart shaped rose cut diamond surrounded by a wreath of flowers and surmounted by a diamond-encrusted bow. The riviere (a riviere is a necklace made of a line of stone-set links) consists of diamond settings that are typical for the second half of the 17th Century (ca. 1675) while the pendant is more a product of the first quarter of the 19th century (ca. 1820). The closure could be older than the riviere as it is set with table cut rose cut diamonds, which indicates that it is madesomewhere between 1550 and 1650. The gold backing of the silver necklace seems to have been retouched and it is our guesstimation that the three different jewels have been re-designed to this jewel by a skilled goldsmith somewhere in the last 50 years. The heart pendant could be a so called Flemish Heart which finds its origins in the deep devotion of the Flemish people for Madonna in the 18th and beginning of the 19th Century. It represents the crowned heart of Maria in a rosary and was traditionally given Mothers day, a tradition that has now sadly disappeared. The wreath of roses has in its centre a loose hanging pendant set with the nicest biggest diamond of them all as the heart of Maria herself and is usually surrounded by 10 diamonds. This particular example has eleven stones surrounding the central stone and lacks the customary crown or love trophy surmounting the heart, which makes us hesitant to classify it as a Flemish heart. Antique jewelry object group: necklace or riviere and pendant, Condition: excellent condition Country of origin: Although it does not carry any legible control marks we believe this to be of Belgian origin. Style: Georgian - Georgian style is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover�George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United Kingdom, and George IV of the United Kingdom�who reigned in continuous succession from August 1714 to June 1830. Source of inspiration: Love and romance Theme: Heart - The heart has long been used as a symbol to refer to the spiritual, emotional, moral, and in the past also intellectual core of a human being. As the heart was once widely believed to be the seat of the human mind, the word heart continues to be used poetically to refer to the soul, and stylized depictions of hearts are extremely prevalent symbols representing love. (from: Wikipedia) Material: Silver on top and backed with 18K yellow gold (see explanation on silver on gold). Technique: The rose cuts are set on foil. This is a special technique that was used to bring the lustre of the diamonds to its best quality. Extra information: Some of the rose cut diamonds are cut so called table rose cut diamonds. When a rose cut diamond is cut in a way that the top part is parallel to the backside of the stone, we are talking about a table rose cut diamond, a way of diamond polishing typical for the 15th till 18th Century. The heart pendant could be a so called Flemish Heart. The distinct devotion of the Flemish people for Madonna, well-spread especially in Antwerp, Belgium in the 18th and beginning of the 19th Century, seems to be the cause of the so-called Flemish Heart (or in Dutch: Vlaams Hart). Given on Mothers day, it represents the crowned heart of Maria in a rosary. The wreath of roses has in its center a loose hanging pendant set with the nicest biggest diamond of them all as the heart of Maria herself. The custom of giving a Flemish Heart on mothers day has been vanished ever since. In Antwerp mothers day is celebrated at August 15th, the Maria celebration par excellence: Maria-Ascension-Day. Everywhere else in the world mothers day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. The initiative of the American President Wilson in 1914 to proclaim the second Sunday in May to be mothers day was soon followed by the rest of the world. Diamonds: Eleven table cut rose cut diamonds in the closure. 50 rose cut diamonds in the riviere. One big and 54 smaller rose cut diamonds . We do not have the weight of all these diamonds which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cuts. Note: All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting. Total rose cut diamonds: 116 Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April. Hallmarks: No trace. Dimensions: length of necklace approximate 37,00 cm (14,57 inch), height and width of pendant 3,75 cm (1,48 inch) x 2,20 cm (0,87 inch) The necklace can be enlarged in the neck - not with diamonds but with two parallel chains on each side of the closure (which is the old way how to enlarge such necklaces) Weight: 47,50 gram (30,54 dwt) Reference N: 14095-0019 Copyright photography: Adin, fine antique jewelry