Day Pendant, Sterling Silver, Art Nouveau, Armand Bargas, Female Figure, Swallows, Solstice Necklace

Meridian, noon, zenith: a number of words exist for the height of the day, but none of them quite capture the feeling of midday. Because it’s not the clock position but the energy of this time, the fullness of light when it’s reached its peak and the world is completely illuminated. The design on this pendant references the time when the sun is fully overhead, and the light asks nothing of you except to enjoy it.

Jour, or Day, faces the light directly, eyes open and unguarded, hair loose in the way of someone entirely at ease. Sun rays fan out behind her in tight radiating lines that fill the image the way full daylight fills a room, leaving nothing in shadow. The horizon is clearly seen in quiet horizontal bands and at lower right, "Jour" is inscribed alongside the artist’s signature.

At the right of the frame, four swallows cut through the air in mid-flight. Swallows have carried meaning for as long as people have watched the sky: to ancient Egyptians they were souls of the dead returning; to sailors they signaled land within reach; in European tradition they came back each year to the same nests, making them emblems of fidelity, of home, of the reliable return of warmth. To see the first swallow of summer was considered luck, and the designer placed them here at the height of day, frolicking joyously in the bright sky.

The engraver, Armand Bargas, was born in Paris in 1854 and spent his career as an engraver of medals and decorative metalwork, working in the tradition that made French Art Nouveau the dominant decorative style of its era. He died in 1921 which means his productive years ran almost exactly parallel to the movement itself, from its emergence in the 1880s through its peak and into its decline after the First World War. His work appears on medals, plaques, and buttons of the period, and his signature on a piece is a mark of authorship.

This is the second and pendant in a series of four:  Aurore, Crépuscule, and Nuit are each listed separately in the shop. A collector who owns all four holds the full wheel of hours — dawn, day, twilight, night — each one a different quality of light, a different quality of being. Each pendant listed separately (see below). 

Cast sterling silver, hallmarked Blue Piranha and .925. 

The pendant measures 1½ inches, or 3.8 cm, long and just under 1¼ inches, or 3.2 cm, wide, including the bail,  about the size of a U.S. half dollar. Weight: 12 grams.

Each pendant is available without a chain, so you may use your own if you prefer. If you want to add a chain, I offer different lengths and styles. Every chain comes with a 2-inch extender, so you can vary the length. Please choose your chain from the options at checkout.

Your purchase arrives gift boxed, presented in a soft pouch with a story card.

Good for: a gift for someone who's made joy a practice rather than a hope. The woman who carried everyone through the hard years, and is finally living in her own light. The friend who photographs the light, chases the golden hour, and has hundreds of pictures of the sky. 

Questions? Please message me. I'm happy to help.

Aurore/Dawn: 

Crepuscule/Twilight: 

Nuit/Night: out of stock