An exceptional one-of-a-kind necklace by L. MARIS Jewels of Athens, created around a magnificent 12.7-carat natural emerald. Its strong V-shaped composition, rich diamond setting and large suspended pear-shaped emerald make the central green stone the unmistakable focus of the entire piece.
The necklace is built as two elegant rows of gemstones that gradually meet at the center. Hundreds of natural diamonds are combined with a continuous line of step-cut natural emeralds, creating a refined contrast between brilliant white light and deep green color. At their meeting point sits a 1.55-carat triangular brilliant-cut diamond, visually connecting the necklace with its impressive suspended emerald.
The centerpiece is a natural pear-shaped emerald weighing approximately 12.7 carats and measuring about 18.0 × 14.4 × 9.3 mm. In total, the necklace contains 327 natural diamonds and 220 natural emeralds and has a substantial total weight of 125.45 grams. These characteristics were independently documented by the Assay Office of Latvia in 2021.
The story behind the maker gives this jewel another dimension. L. MARIS was a long-established family jewelry house in Greece, continuing a family tradition of jewelry craftsmanship that reached back to the early 20th century. The workshop specialized in individually created pieces rather than mass production. Important jewels such as this necklace were made as unique, one-of-a-kind objects.
Today, the L. MARIS family business no longer exists. This makes its surviving individual creations part of a closed jewelry tradition: pieces from a workshop that can no longer produce another example. For a jewel originally created as a unique object, this gives the idea of “one of a kind” a very literal meaning.
This necklace was acquired by a Latvian collector as part of a private collection assembled over many years across different European countries. Like the other important jewels in the collection, it was acquired primarily as a work of jewelry art, rather than for regular wear. It was rarely worn and carefully preserved for decades.
Following the passing of the collector, the collection is now being offered for sale. This necklace is a particularly strong example of his approach to collecting: not simply choosing precious stones and gold, but preserving distinctive works of European jewelry craftsmanship.
The necklace was independently examined by the Assay Office of Latvia in 2021. The report confirms its 18K gold, natural diamonds and natural emeralds and recorded a Retail Replacement Value of €75,000-€85,000 at the time of assessment.
