The Meridian Pendant

Look closely and the négligée gives itself away as Art Nouveau: opals, worn thin at the back where a hand has turned it for a century, held by chased naturalistic goldwork. The work is so even you would swear a machine did it, though none then could. A dealer we trust brought it down from an Amsterdam family, kept in a bank drawer far longer than it was ever worn. Pieces like this do not come apart; they were built to be handed on.