MASSONI: A RUBY AND DIAMOND SPRAY BROOCH, WITH A PAIR OF EAR...
Hammer
€8,500
MASSONI: A RUBY AND DIAMOND SPRAY BROOCH, WITH A PAIR OF EARCLIPS EN SUITE, CIRCA 1970 Comprising a brooch designed as a flowering spray, the textured gold stem issuing branches set with marquise-shaped rubies to the leaf tips and pavé-set brilliant-cut diamond foliage, centring a cluster of brilliant-cut diamonds highlighted with fancy-cut ruby accents, a baguette-cut diamond ribbon motif to the lower stem; en suite with a pair of earclips of similar floral spray design, each set with oval and circular-cut rubies within a surround of brilliant-cut diamond foliage and baguette-cut diamond ribbon motifs, mounted in 18K gold, signed Massoni, rubies approximately 27.00cts total, diamonds approximately 6.00cts total, Italian registry marks, brooch length 8.6cm, earclip length 4.2cm
Founded in Rome by Pietro Massoni in 1790, Massoni Gioielli belongs to a remarkably enduring tradition of family jewellery making. The business began in the highly skilled goldsmithing world of late eighteenth-century Rome, where Pietro was recorded as a master silversmith and watchmaker and a supplier to the Apostolic Palace. For more than two centuries, the firm passed from father to son, through seven generations. In the nineteenth century, Giuseppe Massoni trained with Fortunato Pio Castellani, absorbing the archaeological revival that helped define Roman jewellery of the period. His successor, Torquato, established the family as fashionable jewellers and became particularly respected for his knowledge of pearls.
That expertise brought Massoni into the orbit of the Italian court. Torquato is recorded as having selected sixteen closely matched Oriental pearls for Queen Margherita of Italy, whose celebrated necklace was gradually enlarged with pearls given to her by King Umberto I. Later generations of the house continued to look beyond Rome for new ideas and technical knowledge. Giuseppe Massoni trained in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century, while his son Giorgio went to London to study the cutting of diamonds and coloured stones. By the postwar years, the house had become part of the glamorous world around Via Condotti and Largo Goldoni, producing refined diamond jewellery alongside more playful animal, floral, and coloured stone designs.
Continuity at Massoni has never meant standing still. In 2006, Carlo and Giuseppe Massoni moved the business to Via Margutta, the Roman street long associated with artists, studios and collectors. The move reflected a broader evolution from the traditional jewellery shop towards a more private meeting place for collectors, where Massoni's own work sits alongside antique jewels and signed pieces by other important houses. It is a fitting continuation of the family story: deeply Roman in character, but shaped throughout by curiosity, craftsmanship, and a willingness to absorb new influences.
More Information
Rubies: approx. 27.00cts total, of purplish-red hue, medium tone, good transparency, overall well matched in colour
Diamonds: approx. 6.00cts total, bright and lively
Brooch and earclips signed Massoni, Italian registry mark 192ROMA and stamped 750 for 18K gold
Earclips for non pierced ears – both with good tension
Brooch pin closes securely
Normal signs of wear, overall in good condition
Total gross weight approx. 79g
Hammer
€8,500
MASSONI: A RUBY AND DIAMOND SPRAY BROOCH, WITH A PAIR OF EARCLIPS EN SUITE, CIRCA 1970 Comprising a brooch designed as a flowering spray, the textured gold stem issuing branches set with marquise-shaped rubies to the leaf tips and pavé-set brilliant-cut diamond foliage, centring a cluster of brilliant-cut diamonds highlighted with fancy-cut ruby accents, a baguette-cut diamond ribbon motif to the lower stem; en suite with a pair of earclips of similar floral spray design, each set with oval and circular-cut rubies within a surround of brilliant-cut diamond foliage and baguette-cut diamond ribbon motifs, mounted in 18K gold, signed Massoni, rubies approximately 27.00cts total, diamonds approximately 6.00cts total, Italian registry marks, brooch length 8.6cm, earclip length 4.2cm
Founded in Rome by Pietro Massoni in 1790, Massoni Gioielli belongs to a remarkably enduring tradition of family jewellery making. The business began in the highly skilled goldsmithing world of late eighteenth-century Rome, where Pietro was recorded as a master silversmith and watchmaker and a supplier to the Apostolic Palace. For more than two centuries, the firm passed from father to son, through seven generations. In the nineteenth century, Giuseppe Massoni trained with Fortunato Pio Castellani, absorbing the archaeological revival that helped define Roman jewellery of the period. His successor, Torquato, established the family as fashionable jewellers and became particularly respected for his knowledge of pearls.
That expertise brought Massoni into the orbit of the Italian court. Torquato is recorded as having selected sixteen closely matched Oriental pearls for Queen Margherita of Italy, whose celebrated necklace was gradually enlarged with pearls given to her by King Umberto I. Later generations of the house continued to look beyond Rome for new ideas and technical knowledge. Giuseppe Massoni trained in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century, while his son Giorgio went to London to study the cutting of diamonds and coloured stones. By the postwar years, the house had become part of the glamorous world around Via Condotti and Largo Goldoni, producing refined diamond jewellery alongside more playful animal, floral, and coloured stone designs.
Continuity at Massoni has never meant standing still. In 2006, Carlo and Giuseppe Massoni moved the business to Via Margutta, the Roman street long associated with artists, studios and collectors. The move reflected a broader evolution from the traditional jewellery shop towards a more private meeting place for collectors, where Massoni's own work sits alongside antique jewels and signed pieces by other important houses. It is a fitting continuation of the family story: deeply Roman in character, but shaped throughout by curiosity, craftsmanship, and a willingness to absorb new influences.
More Information
Rubies: approx. 27.00cts total, of purplish-red hue, medium tone, good transparency, overall well matched in colour
Diamonds: approx. 6.00cts total, bright and lively
Brooch and earclips signed Massoni, Italian registry mark 192ROMA and stamped 750 for 18K gold
Earclips for non pierced ears – both with good tension
Brooch pin closes securely
Normal signs of wear, overall in good condition
Total gross weight approx. 79g
