Monet's garden had a profound impact on my early artistic education and development. When I was very young, my grandparents visited his garden and house in Giverny, France and brought back a wonderful children's book called "Linnea in Monet's Garden". It became one of my favorites! My grandparents read the book to me and my sister all the time and also brought us to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see Monet's paintings in real life. Recently, when I visited Monet's garden for the first time myself, I noticed many of the flowers and trees that I vividly remembered my grandmother growing in her own garden, including a beautiful Japanese Maple tree. This was obviously a special experience for her and she wanted to bring a little piece of it into her own daily life. My grandparents loved teaching us about art and classical music, and my grandmother is also responsible for teaching me about jewelry!

This beautiful antique brooch c.1900s-1910s comes to us from Berlin, Germany and is crafted from 14k (585) adorned with luxurious enamel. It reminds me of the graceful red maple leaves growing in the gardens and depicted in Monet's paintings.  In its center, it features a beautifully chunky old mine cut diamond measuring an average of 4.3mm in diameter, and weighing a calculated 0.30ct with K/L color and SI1 clarity (eye clean). This diamond is incredibly lively and throws beautiful rainbow flashes even in the dimmest light. Every detail of this brooch is exquisite, from the golden veins of the leaves, to the small rose cut diamond that glimmers in its yellow bezel setting like a drop of dew on the largest leaf.  This brooch measures 25 mm x 25.6mm (approximately 1" x 1") and weighs 5.3 grams. The original C clasp is in excellent condition and is very secure. There is some enamel loss commensurate with age, however it does not detract from the beauty of this unique piece. This brooch looks exceptional on the lapel of a blazer, and adds character and interest to a little black dress. It can also be easily hooked onto your favorite chain to be worn as a pendant or chain connector.