White & yellow gold, diamonds, emerald

H  6.50cm (2.56 in)  |  W  6.00cm (2.36 in)

In the shape of the solar system, the central sun as a yellow gold ball encircled by planetary orbits in white gold wire. Eight planets represented by full cut bezel set diamonds; Earth represented by a round faceted bezel set emerald.
Cyril Nicholas Henty-Dodd was known by his stage name Simon Dee. He was a successful disc jockey, TV presenter and actor in Swinging Sixties Britain. Almost nothing is known about his past in jewellery design, other than in 1966 he was photographed with Susan Bourne opening a jewellery boutique. When Tadema Gallery advertised the 'The Solar System‘ in the Financial Times, Dee wrote back stating that he had designed the brooch & had it made for him in 1982.

Literature
Illustrated in our book:
Beatriz Chadour-Sampson & Sonya Newell-Smith, Tadema Gallery London Jewellery from the 1860s to 1960s, Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart 2021, p. 374

Collections
Acquired by The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Chicago

Ref No   1978

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