Master Art

Bordered by sixteen cushion cut diamonds, an openwork rose cut diamond set frame of crescent motifs within, inscribed to the reverse 'KДM' and N1677, accompanied by a special presentation SSEF report and with exceptional letter, numbered 78026, stating that the pearl is natural, of saltwater origin and giving a weight of approximately 40ct.

The Putilov name is familiar in Russian history. Nikolai Putilov, a retired official from the Naval ministry, purchased the Kirov Plant in 1868. Having first been established in 1789, it was a major Russian industrial factory in St. Petersburg that served as a foundry for cannonballs. He re-named it the Putilov Company.

Putilov, a man of great wealth and resources, was a great admirer of jewellery and a known client of Faberge. After the Revolution, Lenin himself signed a decree confiscating the possessions of Alexei Putilov, forcing him to flee Russia for Paris. With him, he managed to smuggle this magnificent pearl brooch which was then passed down through the family and eventually to his grandson, who emigrated to America in the 1950s.

The brooch is centered by the world's largest near-round natural saltwater pearl, a mammoth specimen that measures 19.08mm x 18.88mm x 16.50mm.

The brooch is framed by 16 near-colorless, old mine cut diamonds with an approximate total weight of 28 carats.
Length 5cm / 2''
Weight: 30.5g