Description
To say that this Rare Important Australian 19thC Pietra Dure Demi Parure Sylla Denis is a rare piece of Australian antique jewellery is a major understatement!
****** AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY OF EXTREMELY RARE 19thC AUSTRALIAN JEWELLERY ~ IT IS AN AUSTRALIAN RECORD BREAKER ON SEVERAL FRONTS & BY ALL RIGHTS ~ DESERVES TO BE IN AN AUSTRALIA’S MUSEUM *** THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE OF SYLLA DENIS PIETRA DURA JEWELLERY TO EXIST *** THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE OF A AUSTRALIAN PIETRA DURA *** POSSIBLY THE EARLIEST KNOWN PIECE/S OF SYLLA DENIS JEWELLERY , {Note Sylla Denis , Not Denis jewellery >>>> as I believe that this Exceptional Demi Parure was made by SYLLA DENIS , Prior to Victor joining him!!! If my belief is correct , that will simply & at a Minimum , add 50%+ to the value of this exceptional jewel ******
NOTE:~ the bright colours of the pietra dura , the change of surfaces , the change of gold colours & change of textures & design styles such as ‘rope twist’ , the crown borders , the mirror flat patina covered border surface in rose gold. This piece has clearly been made by a superior jeweller with obvious skills for all to see & although , as expected , it has incurred some imperfections over the course of the life of it’s 155 years approx; it is of not of any major significance & awaits to be worn by the next fortunate owner.
This is a Large suite and I refer you to the image/s with the coins included , they will assist in giving you a good idea of the proportions of the demi parure. The major piece , the pendant / brooch , is a seriously large piece {as the images show} & one of the few seen that is a seriously good size to wear as a pendant!!
After conducting research on this suite for some time , I can confidently state that this Demi Parure or 3 piece earrings & pendant/brooch suite …… are the only known example in recorded Australian jeweller.
This is an exceedingly rare & highly desirable suite of early Australian investment grade jewellery , made by one of Australia’s most revered & sought after 19thC jeweller’s in Australian history.
Although not priced as such.
A basic run down on the Sylla family of 19thC ‘Australian jewellers’.
With the patriarch Sylla Denis migrating to Australia from his homeland of France , in the early 1860’s >>>>>> right in the middle of the Victorian Gold Rush. Like so many able bodied men , and several disabled men as well , it didn’t take Sylla to long to hit the Victorian gold fields.
Realising that the gold was not lying on top of the ground to pick up at will , it wasn’t too long before Sylla Denis was heading east again back into a world more to his liking , called Melbourne.
Forever the entrepreneur , it wasn’t again too long before he realised that there was a more regular & better known method of making money out of gold in 1860’s Melbourne Australia ~ he returned to the workbench & started producing some of the finest jewellery that came out of 19thC Australia.
With near instant success , Sylla was promptly joined by his brother , Victor & the business was then called Denis Bros.
The Denis brothers were eventually joined by another family member , in the form of their nephew , making it a real family business.
With their showrooms at 72-74 Bourke Street Melbourne , they quickly rose to the very top of Melbourne’s High society making fine jewellery for Melbourne’s elite. They later entered trade fairs & the like , winning a first order of merit for gold and silver jewellery at the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880.
PLEASE NOTE:! 1} The image of the man himself , Sylla Denis.
2} 2 x ‘cropped half shots’ of a brooch that sold for au$6,100 in 2015 in Melbourne.
Take note of the extremely basic design of the brooch , probably a custom order by a ‘miner’ returning from the gold fields & having a small nugget mounted onto a very basic 3 bar bar brooch for his sweetheart.
$6,100.
The nugget brooch in question , shown as one example of the prices Denis jewellery rightly obtains , does not compare to the Rare Important Australian 19thC Pietra Dure Demi Parure Sylla Denis suite.
If you have any questions please email and we will reply ASAP , usually on the same day.
