Late 18th c Portuguese Minas Novas Starburst Pendant

A late 18th c Portuguese ‘minas novas’ hair jewel, converted to a pendant, probably c. 1775-1800, of a striking starburst form, set with foiled quartz of varying circular, square, trapezoidal, and triangular cuts. The gem culets all bear a black dot, standard foiling practice for non-diamond colorless stones throughout the second half of the 18th century, painted to enhance the visual depth of gems, and to imitate the deep well-like pavilions of old cut diamonds. The gem faceting of the present piece is an early version of the scissor cut, featuring triangular facets shaped like opposing blades. A then-novel lapidary development, scissor cut gemstones reflect more light than ordinary table and step cuts. Together with the closed-back silver foiling, the present pendant is unexpectedly lively and bright. The quartzes would have been sourced from Brazil; various quartz, beryl, and topaz species mined in the Minas Gerais region were referred collectively as ‘minas novas’ by the Portuguese. While most mid-18th century Portuguese jewels featuring Brazillian gems favor juxtapositions of color, jewels set with near-colorless ‘minas novas’ came in fashion during the last quarter of the 18th century, in part influenced by lighter neoclassical trends that demanded elegance and reserve. As illustrated on p. 74 of “Five Centuries of Jewellery: National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon” by Leonor d’Orey, hair jewels of the present type were originally mounted on long hair pins with en tremblant springs. A similar starburst hair jewel (in topaz) is illustrated on the same page of the aforementioned publication.
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