IN THE
Loupe
White on white
White Heat In the Platinum Jubilee year, we celebrate the precious metal’s enduring popularity from the Belle Époque to Hollywood
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argely unknown until the mid-19th century, platinum’s rise was as meteoric as the supernova which spawned it, soon becoming a royal must-wear. At his 1937 coronation, George VI’s wife, Elizabeth, (the late Queen Mother) wore a platinum crown holding the famous Koh-I-Noor diamond. The Duke of Windsor, who abdicated to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson, also exchanged platinum wedding rings made by Cartier. The leading ladies of Hollywood adorned themselves in platinum, summed up by Jean Harlow’s character in Frank Capra’s movie Platinum Blonde. May West only wore platinum jewellery and Marilyn Monroe, the quintessential platinum blonde, wore a platinum eternity ring with 35 emerald cut diamonds during her marriage to Joe di Maggio. Such was the precious metal’s rise, in 1934 a German correspondent in New York wrote: “If you take a look at the shop windows of the local jeweller’s shop, you would think that there is only one metal available: platinum.” And its popularity continues to this day. Guy Burton, director of the London jewellers Hancocks, said: “The appeal of platinum jewellery is timeless. While there has undoubtedly been a surge in the popularity of gold in recent years fuelled by the renewed interest in vintage jewellery of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, platinum jewellery never goes out of fashion.”
38 ANTIQUE COLLECTING
Above A platinum,
natural seed pearl and diamond choker necklace by Theodore B. Starr, c.1910, which separates into two bracelets to be worn stacked together or one on each wrist, price £25,000, image courtesy of Hancocks London Below left An art deco diamond cross pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1921, the platinum has been expertly pierced and the diamonds expertly placed so the metal seems to disappear, price £45,000, image courtesy of Hancocks London Below right An
Edwardian black bow brooch crafted in platinum over gold
For many years platinum’s high melting point put solid jewellery made from it beyond the capability of Western jewellers. However, change was on its way in 1877, with the first production of liquid oxygen. Further scientific advancements were at hand when, in 1895, two French engineers, Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard, created an oxyhydrogen torch that quite literally lit the touch paper for platinum jewellery. Prior to this Western jewellers had looked to silver as the ideal complement to white diamonds. But silver had its drawbacks with its fragility and tendency to bend. But platinum’s day really came when the newlydiscovered South African diamonds from the Kimberley mines came to market. For the first time, jewellers had a wealth of pure, large brilliants at their disposal and no metal was as suitable to show them off as platinum. Guy Burton said: “The purity of platinum’s colour coupled with its strength makes it the perfect metal for setting diamonds. It holds them securely while casting no unwanted warmth into the whiteness of the stones.”
Garland style When Edward VII came to the throne in 1901, lending his name to the era, he ushered in a style revolution. The sobriety of the Victorian era was soon forgotten. Its heavy jewellery designs were replaced with lighter and brighter styles. Turn-of-the-century jewellers became inspired by
