Lot 78. Gold and favrile glass ‘Beetle’ necklace, Tiffany & Co., Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, circa 1910. Estimate $50,000–70,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

The two row necklace composed of 24 favrile glass scarabs spaced by gold beadwork columns, length 14 inches, signed Tiffany & Co., numbered 243 and 883, with French import mark; circa 1910..

Note: Louis Comfort Tiffany’s aesthetic was driven by a deep admiration of nature and the conviction that artistic virtuosity reigns over intrinsic value. Favrile glass, with its shimmering, iridescent qualities and endless permutations of shape and color, provided the ideal medium for what he called his “beetle” jewelry. The beetle motif was based on the scarab, the Egyptian symbol of resurrection, lending these jewels a pleasing dissonance between the concept of immortality and the fragility of the material.

For a necklace of similar design see The Jewelry and Enamels of Louis Comfort Tiffany by Janet Zapata, page 114.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels Including the Legendary Stotesbury Emerald, New York, 25 Apr 2017, 10:00 AM