A very fine antique amethyst and gold cannetille parure, composed of a necklace, matching earrings and bracelet. French, circa 1825-1830.
French maker’s mark and gold assay mark.

Jewelry with cannetille was very popular in the 1820’s and 1830’s. Cannetille is a kind of gold work inspired by fabric embroidery, featuring wire and metal sheeting crafted into delicate 3-dimensional forms such as domes, flowers, shells, scrolls and spider-like rosette. Jewelry featuring cannetille was often embellished with granuation and thinly stamped metals. As suddenly as cannetille work emerged in jewelry fashion, it disappeared. The height of cannetille jewelry in civil fashion is around 1830.

Literature:
CHAZAL, G. & CHAZAL, M., Bijoux Parisiens : French Jewelry from the Palais Royal, Paris, Memphis, Tennessee The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 2013, p. 37, cat. 20.

‘After Brazil declared its independence in 1822, it opened to more active commercial trade with Europe. Large pieces of jewelry continued to be fashionable, but they also began to incorporate semiprecious stones imported from Brazil., which were more within financial reach than diamonds. In pieces such as the Amethyst Parure (cat.20), table-cut amethysts, topazes and aquamarines were set within wide frames of embossed gold, delicately chiseled and with milled edges or cannetille.’
(CHAZAL G. & CHAZAL M., Bijoux Parisiens, p.34)