John Rubel ballerina

John Rubel ballerina brooch and pair of earrings, 1940s

John Rubel ballerina demi-parure from the 1940s

“John Rubel’s jewels have always danced. My wish today is that they resume their ballet of shapes and colors“, says Sophie Mizrahi-Rubel, granddaughter and president of John Rubel Paris.

The Franco-American company which was founded by the two Hungarian Rubel brothers had from 1943 to 1947 a New York branch. It was in a famous nightclub that John Rubel scribbled the design for the ballerina brooch on a napkin. He gave the serviette to Maurice Duvallet to work out the design. Duvallet worked also for Van Cleef & Arpels and VCA took one of the ballerina’s in production. It was Van Cleef & Arpels who made the ballerina brooches famous, but the father of the ballerina was unmistakably John Rubel. The brooch is part of a demi-parure with a pair of earrings set in 18K gold and sapphires.

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About Lara

I grew up as the daughter of an antique dealer of Dutch jewelry and silver. From the age of 18 I went to auctions for my mom, as she did not had the time to go there herself. In those days there was no such thing as online auctions. In my mid-twenties I thought for a brief moment of taking over the business of my mother, but I had other plans. Chateau I wanted to live and work abroad and own a chateau. Only after finding my husband I did so and for 10 years long I changed an 18th century old and torn down Burgundy castle into a holiday rental business. Back to my roots In 2009 I started dealing in French antique jewelry at my chateau and I went back to school to learn more about precious stones. I followed the online courses at GIA (Gemmological Institute of America) and I took all the lab classes in London and in Carlsbad, California. I worked for a short period for a jewelry retailer in the Caribbean, but I had no feeling with the brand new products that I sold. Even brands as De Beers Forever Mark and Harts on Fire could not exhilarated me. Maybe this is because I saw so many beautiful pieces in France, or maybe because I just love old stones in all senses of the word. That soft patina that comes with the years and is undeniable beautiful to my eyes. As the French locals called me La Chatelaine, which I’m still today, I thought it is an appropriate name for my web boutique. La chatelaine means Lady of the Manor or Key holder. Enjoy! Lara Lunow GIA GG