Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

A pair of Venetian gem set earclips, by NARDI, each with a central pear-cut emerald within a cluster surround of graduated brilliant-cut diamonds, to a border of textured flowerheads, each centred with a round-cut ruby or sapphire, within a polished border, to clip back fittings, mounted in yellow precious metal, stamped ‘750’ and ‘NARDI’, length 23mm. £1,000-£1,400

The jewel house NARDI, of Venice, was founded by Giulio Nardi. Born in Florence, Giulio moved to Venice in the 1920s and opened his first jewellery shop in Piazza San Marco. Inspired by his love of the city of ‘water and light’, Nardi quickly gained international recognition in the post war years, attracting the attention of the ‘jet-set’, including Liz Taylor, Grace Kelly, Ernest Hemingway, Arthur Rubinstein etc. Patronage continued to come from the royal families of Spain and Greece, and society stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Barbara Hutton.

Today this family run business is still in the very same workshop in Piazza San Marco.