18K & 14K Gold Pearl Diamond Star Sapphire Bayadere Sautoir Necklace

A very fine early “collier Bayadère” or bayadere necklace comprising four strands of seed pearls suspending a blue star sapphire and a seed pearl tassel set in 14K gold bell-form cap set with old mine cut diamonds. These are also sometimes called “sautoirs.” The sapphire has a violet tint to the blue and displays good asterism (star effect). The necklace is finished with a late 18th or early 19th century enameled clasp worked in 18K gold. Bayadères made with two tassels and no clasp were meant to be tied together with a simple knot, while others such as this example, suspending a single tassel, were made with a traditional clasp. The term “bayadère” referred to Indian maidens (“devadasi”) who performed complex ritual dances in Indian temples. Bayadère necklaces became very fashionable in the 1920s as Europeans grew more intrigued with Indian culture. This earlier example, probably dating to the last quarter of the 19th century, features a single tassel.

• Origin: France, ca. 1875
• Condition: excellent; minor enamel loss to clasp visible upon close inspection
• Necklace Length: 24”
• Tassel Length: 3-1/2”
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: star sapphire, 5.9 ct; diamond, .20 ct