86 - NARDI: A GEM-SET DRESS RING Designed as a turban, the bombé head of engraved silver foliate panels divided by ropetwist gold bands and set with circular-cut rubies, surmounted by a sodalite cabochon and a gold star accented with a circular-cut ruby, to a ropetwist hoop, mounted in silver and 18K gold, signed Nardi, with maker's mark, Italian registry mark, ring size M

NARDI: A GEM-SET DRESS RING Designed as a turban, the bombé head of engraved silver foliate panels divided by ropetwist gold bands and set with circular-cut rubies, surmounted by a sodalite cabochon and a gold star accented with a circular-cut ruby, to a ropetwist hoop, mounted in silver and 18K gold, signed Nardi, with maker's mark, Italian registry mark, ring size M Condition Report: Rubies: of pinkish red hue, medium tone, good transparency, overall well-match Sodalite: of blue hue, with white and grey mottling, opaque Stamped 750 for 18K gold Normal signs of wear, overall in good condition Total gross weight approx. 15.4g Giulio Nardi, originally from Florence, began his eponymous jewellery business in the early 1920s in the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Capturing the jazz age buzz in the Italian city, caused mainly by American musicians and writers moving to or holidaying in Venice, Nardi was one of the first business owners to see the potential of Venice as an epicentre of luxury goods. Venice, or La Serenissima, was a constant source of inspiration for Nardi, who captured the city’s glistening water, intricate architecture, and artistic culture in jewel form. Nardi is a name associated with the artisanal. All Nardi jewellery is made in the upstairs atelier of the store, which spans five arches of the iconic piazza. It is estimated that since 1940, fewer than 10,000 pieces of jewellery have been created, allowing the brand to maintain an air of exclusivity and grandeur. Nardi is also a name enshrouded in an atmosphere of glamour and finery. With the publication of a book by historian Nicholas Foulkes detailing the business’s history and its fine pieces, Nardi for many now recalls decadent masked balls and bacchanalian Italian travel. It was not uncommon in the 1960s and 1970s for Hollywood stars to make a pilgrimage to Gioielleria Nardi while in the city for the Venice Film Festival. As a result, actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor and Natalie Wood would wear pieces by Nardi at home in the USA as a signifier of heightened taste and access to the European luxury world. The brand is perhaps best known for its Morettos, onyx or ebony bejewelled visages inspired by Shakespeare’s Moor of Venice in Othello. However, there is much more on offer, and the company, now run by Giulio’s grandson Alberto Nardi, ensures to centre Venetian imagery such as masks and lions in their works. Lot 60 is a perfect example of this, as the fish is evocative of Venice’s famous shape as an island, which is often likened to a fish, a shape that allowed the island to stay protected from invasion and grow in strength for over 1,400 years.