Electric!

Literally and figuratively, this Juliana (DeLizza & Elster) demi with sapphire aventurine cabochons IS!

Our set consists of a brooch and earrings, all showcasing sapphire blue glass cabochons with copper fluss that are as close to neon blue in hue, and seem to glow in any light setting; against a rich gilt backdrop.

These stones are identified as aventurine in the book, "Juliana Jewelry Reference: DeLizza & Elster" by author Ann Pitman. A necklace variation of this design appears in her book (see last picture). A similar brooch and earrings to ours also appears in the "isitjulianajewelry" website.

I have seen and owned Juliana pieces with green aventurine stones, but have never encountered sapphire ones before; they are that rare. These electric blue aventurine stones are just in a class above the rest, just look at our photos. Their vivid glowing hues are out-of-this-world.

According to Pitman, aventurine stones are made from a glassmaking process that originated in Venice, Italy in the 1700s. She describes the aventurine as a "shimmering glass with tiny metallic copper flakes in it". The stones come in different colors, including jet (black), topaz, ruby, emerald, and sapphire (like ours). The use of these aventurine stones is unique to Juliana pieces. Pitman says that the stones were "first seen in 1958".

Our set has two shapes of sapphire aventurine cabochons: oval and navette. The oval cabochons are the focal point in all the pieces, trimmed by the navettes plus round crystals in medium and dark blue hues. 

The aventurine stones have a deep, vibrant blue hue with glowing depths, with shimmery copper fluss across the top. Each stone has unique copper flake markings: some have more, some less, and a few others have hardly any at all. The differences in markings make the stones even more interesting.

The brooch is a foliate shape, with a sapphire aventurine oval cabochon in the center. It is trimmed all around by dark blue round crystals, and a pair of medium blue rounds on the top and bottom. Around the round crystals are navette aventurine cabochons. The leaf is pointy at the top and has at the base a short stem made of a row of round crystals.

Each earring has an oval aventurine cabochon as the focal point, with a lone navette cabochon to one side, plus a trio of smaller round crystals. The earrings are mirror images of each other.

The brooch is 2 1/2" tall and 1 3/8" wide, and it has a locking c-clasp. The earrings are clipbacks.

Our set is unmarked, as are all Julianas, but the construction details and type of stone used all indicate Juliana. The appearance of the design also affirms its pedigree.

In very good to excellent condition. The sapphire aventurine stones are all fantastic, and they glow and shimmer beautifully. The gilt metal is rich in hue. Minimal wear overall.