Antique Art Nouveau / Jugendstil Gold & Turquoise Pendant with Chain - Murrle Bennett Design c.1910

This is a fabulous piece of jewellery that has a very distinctive Germanic Jugendstil look to It. As alluded to in the title, the style of this piece has its roots in the design archive of the famous Anglo-German partnership of Murrle Bennett & Co (1896 - 1914). Murrle Bennett was a partnership between Ernst Murrle, a German national, and a British jeweller called John Baker Bennett. They worked in mostly in a high Art Nouveau or Germanic Jugendstil style, producing exquisite pendants, brooches and rings in both gold and silver, plus some other larger silver Pieces. As Ernst was a German national, the onset of Ww1 effectively ended his involvement in the partnership (he was actually interred in the Isle of Wight awaiting his return to Germany). I believe the company existed until 1916, but the last two years of this were in name Only. The pendant itself has been manufactured in 9ct gold (marked to the back) and is complimented by its original period gold chain - this chain is also marked 9ct to its Clasp. To the centre of the pendant there is an oval shaped natural turquoise matrix stone - surrounding the stone there are 6 raised rivets or 'bosses', which is a design feature often seen on Jugendstil jewellery, and particularly that of Mb&Co. During the course of my research into this pendant, I found an example of a fully marked Murrle Bennett pendant (in silver) that very closely matches the design of the gold example offered Here. The comparison images can be seen in the last picture showing the front and back of Both. Leaving aside the pearl drop shown on the silver piece, the similarities are between the two are striking! - please note, this silver example is shown for comparison only and is not included in this Sale. It'S well documented that Murrle Bennett and Liberty & Co shared designs on some of their jewellery, with some identical pieces appearing in the contemporary catalogues of both Companies. Other jewellers of the era would of been heavily influenced by the so called 'Liberty Style' and would of produced their own versions of popular Designs. The protection of designs seemed to be less important in the early 20th century than it is Now. It'S difficult to say with 100% certainty who made this piece, but it's very clear to see where the influence and style came From. Non maker marked pieces by both Mb&Co and Liberty & Co are known, and it's not out of the question to think that this may of been retailed through Liberty's department store in around 1910. A fully maker marked gold piece for Liberty & Co or Mb&Co would command a price in the high hundreds Now! The pendant measures 2.2cm top to bottom and has a width of 1.6cm - the turquoise stone measures approximately 0.9cm x 0.6cm. The chain measures 16 inches in Length. The total weight of the item is 3.6g. The condition of the item all round is excellent - the gold is free of dents, scratches or Repairs. The turquoise stone is securely set in place and free of Damage. The gold chain is all good and the original clasp works as well as the day it was Made. All round it's a lovely wearable piece!