The Tree of Love

The piece, 30 cm wide and 35 cm high, is of extraordinary complexity and ornamental beauty. It is made up of a twisted and highly branched gold tree, which encloses a round cup of zoned greenish fluorite measuring 9x16 cm. The whole is supported by a round base of hyaline quartz measuring 16.5 cm in diameter. It has a cylindrical tabular shape with rounded edges, in turn bordered by a gold border with a continuous ornament from the Alhambra collection. All of this is supported by three small gold turtles. The turtle has been, since time immemorial, a symbol of longevity and wisdom, linked to the earth. The whole is crowned by two human figures (man and woman) who look at each other and form the profile of a heart with their bodies, just like the figures described in the piece entitled “The Origin of the World”.

From a gemological point of view, the two stones that stand out most in this figure are fluorite and clear quartz or rock crystal, as well as green enamel at the base of the cup, adorned with gold leaves, and at the base of the tree, forming leaves around the stem. In the gold border of the base, four small rubies and four Colombian emeralds are set, alternating, cut in cabochon. Finally, two flowers of the tree of love stand out, one of them with a ruby ​​in its centre and the other with a sapphire. In both flowers, the petals are formed by a pavé of small diamonds.

Fluorite is a common mineral, although gemological varieties are rare. An important industrial mineral for obtaining fluorine, it is not considered a gemstone due to its low hardness, but it is a collector's stone. Some varieties are highly valued as ornamental stones. The one shown here, with banded zoning, with a predominance of greenish tones, but also violet, reddish and whitish tones, is a beautiful specimen whose origin, with some doubt, can be assigned to the province of Hunan (China) or, less likely, to the province of Río Negro (Argentina). Spain is extraordinarily rich in beautiful and varied fluorites of all colours. The deposits in Asturias, Catalonia and, formerly, Cerro Muriano, in Córdoba, are famous. It has also been found in many other places, although not with the beautiful zoning shown in this cup. The round quartz table at the base is carved from clear, hyaline quartz, with an intense shine and internal fractures that enhance its beauty.

The fact that the tree of good and evil is identified with a cup of fluorite may have to do with the fact that this mineral has been considered throughout history as "the stone of discernment."

* No shipments are made to the Canary Islands

You have 30 days to make the return, you can return it to our store at Goya 27 or by sending it to our headquarters, for more information click here.