Tiffany & Co. Art Nouveau Brooch, Louis Comfort Tiffany

Created circa 1914-1925 at Tiffany & Co., under the creative direction of Louis Tiffany in the Art Jewelry Department, this brooch is composed of moonstone, Montana sapphires, and platinum. The form centers a cushion-shape cabochon moonstone flanked by wirework scrolls and beads, framed within an oval of thirty circular-cut sapphires. With its diverse blues expressed in the high-domed, billowy moonstone offset by sparkling sapphires, and its hand-drawn platinum wire of both strength and attenuation, this brooch belongs to one of Louis Tiffany's most recognizable aesthetics, and is a "little missionary" of his artistic vision.

Dimensions: 1.50" length, 0.75" width.
Materials: 1 cabochon moonstone; 30 circular-cut sapphires (approximate total weight 2.64 carats); Platinum; 18K gold
Gram Weight: 11.4
Signed: Tiffany & Co., reverse with scratched letters and numerals 2J3?
Documentation: Accompanied by IAJA certificate of expertise no. XP2378-241025 by Annamarie Sandecki dated October 24, 2025 stating that the brooch was created under the direction of Louis Tiffany for the firm's "Art Jewelry Department".
Literature: For additional examples of delicate work in these materials and palette, thought to have been made under the direction of Julia Munson, see The Jewelry and Enamels of Louis Comfort Tiffany, by Janet Zapata, p. 116, and Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., pp. 38 and 54.

A large part of Louis Tiffany's jewelry in the platinum, moonstones and sapphires seems to have been created in the period from 1910-1915, the earlier work falling around the end of Julia Munson's tenure, and the beginning of Meta Overbeck's. However, the serene blue and shimmering moonlight aesthetic continued in popularity into the mid 1920s. Both women appear to have explored the possibilities of these materials and their distinct palette to create work of striking modernism that remains extremely appealing over 100 years later.