Tag Archives: french jewelry

Toi & Moi ring

Toi & Moi or You & Me ring

Who can say my wife (girlfriend) or my husband (boyfriend) is my best friend is very rich and blessed in life. A French Toi & Moi ring represents this idea: 2 stones or 2 pearls representing 2 souls intertwined until death do us part. Although these types of rings were already made in the beginning of the 18th century (see also Le bijou de sentiment, an exhibition organised by Chaumet in 2008), I believe it was Napoleon who made this type of ring popular. The to be French emperor offered his future empress Josephine a toi et moi engagement ring in 1795. The ring was made of a diamond and sapphire pear and was sold in 2013 at auction for a million euros. Although not worn by an empress I  offer a beautiful and moderate priced toi & moi ring from the 1950s. The 2 diamonds are set in a platinum eternity sign. This ring might just be the perfect gift for your Valentine.

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How to wear vintage jewelry: brooches, pins and clips (part V)

Nicole Kidman wearing a vintage brooch on the sleeve of her dress

Nicole Kidman at the Critic’s Choice Awards in Santa Monica december 2016, wearing a vintage brooch on the sleeve of her dress

I found a photo of Nicole Kidman attending the Critic’s Choice Awards in Santa Monica last year. Do you see where she is wearing her vintage brooch? Pretty fancy place! The geometric pattern of the brooch compliments the triangle forms of her dress. I have in my shop a Mauboussin diamond spray clip from the 1950s. I’m looking for the dress that goes well with this form. Maybe an asymmetric dress from the retro period. Anyone?

How to wear vintage jewelry: brooches, pins and clips (part IV)

Here is a selection of some alternative ways to wear a brooch on cocktail dresses and frog gowns. You can accentuate your body parts, you can hide a zipper or tighten a dress or just stand out from the crowd.

Set of 1940s snowflake brooches

VAC advertentie voor snowflake clips 1946

Van Cleef & Arpels advertisement for snowflake brooches (1946)

Trifari in Vogue 1950

Nice example of how to wear a set of vintage brooches, one little bigger than the other, like the snowflakes

set of 18K gold and diamond snowflake brooches

set of 18K gold and diamond snowflake brooches

How to wear vintage jewelry like these snowflake brooches? In the 1940s brooches were worn together as a set. In a Paris auction, I bought this lovely set of 2 small snowflake brooches. One is a little bigger than the other. Snowflakes were extremely popular after the war. Van Cleef & Arpels introduced them in 1946. Here you can see 2 advertisements of how to wear them: The lady with the snowflake brooches on her hat is from VCA and the other lady with a set of diamond clovers are from the House of Trifari.

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Showers of Sapphire

showers of sapphire in a 18K gold brooch

showers of sapphires in 18K gold retro brooch

I found these wonderful showers of sapphires in a Paris auction. It’s a beautiful French 18K gold retro brooch and a good example of 1940s escapism.

Escapism of the 1940s was an important motif in pre- and mid-war jewelry. Eye-catching jewelry was used to forget the doom and gloom of the war. Jewels were extravagant and extrovert, bold and bossy with voluptuous curves and plumed up into massive 3-dimensial designs. Jewelry was bursting with ribbons of yellow gold and showers of sapphires*. Indulge yourself with a beautiful pin and lift WWII  escapism to modern hedonism. It is more contemporain than ever.

* quotes from “Antique and Twentieth century jewellery” by Vivienne Becker (chapter 22).

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Popular Birds of the 1950s

18K gold French humming bird brooch from 1950s

French humming bird brooch from the 1950s in 18K gold and enamel

Under the influence of Hollywood and Walt Disney Cartoons, all sorts of whimsical animals and especially birds like highly stylized parrots and birds of paradise came into fashion in the 1950s. Bright enamels and rich gem colour combinations were particular popular. This enamel hummingbird from France is a beautiful example. Some popular bird names of those times were Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and Lana Turner. But what do you think of my French humming bird? 18K gold and beautiful rich enamel.

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Rene Boivin by Madame Cailles

This incredible ring was presented by the one and only Francoise Cailles, expert and author of the book “Rene Boivin, jeweler”. The ring “modele Quartre corps” consists of 4 rings which are set in rubies. This ring was made in the 1960/1970 by Rene Boivin. Continue reading