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When Marcus & Co. made this necklace, the company rivaled Tiffany & Co. as America's premier jewelry house. Retailing a diverse range of styles and influences, the firm was able to accommodate the many tastes of American consumers. With a dazzling combination of peridot, diamonds with platinum, and undulating gold wirework with pearl highlights, the design of this Gilded Age jewel is influenced by Art Nouveau. While the avant-garde art movement was strongest in France and Brussels, by 1900 American jewelers in New York City and Newark, New Jersey incorporated a (typically) more restrained use of the various design elements, like the whiplash curve. The inclusion of green plique-à-jour enamel—a type of backless enamel that allows light to shine through—that is the same color as the peridot gemstone simultaneously adds to the pendant's bold scale and makes it hard to tell where the gems begin and end.
Necklace
Marcus & Co. (American, 1892–1941)
American
about 1905
Medium/Technique
Gold, platinum, peridot, diamond, pearl, plique‑à‑jour enamel
Dimensions
Height x width (Centerpiece): 10.2 x 7.6 cm (4 x 3 in.)
Length (Length from top of chain): 35.6 cm (14 in.)
Length (Length from top of chain): 35.6 cm (14 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Jody Sataloff in memory of Dr. Joseph Sataloff
Accession Number2016.391
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Necklaces and neck bands
When Marcus & Co. made this necklace, the company rivaled Tiffany & Co. as America's premier jewelry house. Retailing a diverse range of styles and influences, the firm was able to accommodate the many tastes of American consumers. With a dazzling combination of peridot, diamonds with platinum, and undulating gold wirework with pearl highlights, the design of this Gilded Age jewel is influenced by Art Nouveau. While the avant-garde art movement was strongest in France and Brussels, by 1900 American jewelers in New York City and Newark, New Jersey incorporated a (typically) more restrained use of the various design elements, like the whiplash curve. The inclusion of green plique-à-jour enamel—a type of backless enamel that allows light to shine through—that is the same color as the peridot gemstone simultaneously adds to the pendant's bold scale and makes it hard to tell where the gems begin and end.
DescriptionAmerican art nouveau inspired necklace featuring a large pendant with seven peridots, scrolling wirework, filled in with green plique-a-jour enamel, and diamond surrounds in platinum, with pearl accents on a gold chain. Pendant can also be worn as a brooch.
ProvenanceBy 1990, sold by Andrew Nelson of Nelson Rarities, Inc., Portland, ME to Dr. Joseph Sataloff; 2008, by descent to his daughter, Jody Sataloff, Cape Elizabeth, ME; 2016, gift of Jody Sataloff to the MFA. (Accession date: September 28, 2016)