At last, the sun is back. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t stand the long tunnel of January and February any longer… With the return of a few sunny days, even if it’s still going to be cold and rainy, I’m back to one of my end-of-winter pleasures, the return of auctions with some very nice catalogues coming up in March 2025. My first stop is Maurice Auction, where the sale on 20 March promises some very nice surprises. Hold on to your hats as I present my selection!
Lot 1- A Restoration bracelet by Auguste Lior, a forgotten jeweller
Photo 1: lot 1, gold, enamel and diamond bracelet, hallmarked Auguste Lior. Estimated at between €2,000 and €3,000. Photo: Maurice Auction – Photo 2: “Specimens of jewellery”, Jarvis, C. N. (Artist), 1851. Photo: New York Public Library
Who remembers Auguste Lior? A priori nobody, and if I’m to believe the paucity of written records mentioning the man, it’s hardly surprising that his name has been completely forgotten. And yet, this jeweller regularly appears at auctions without ever being identified or mentioned. Inscribed in 1842 and struck off in 1956, he lived through the July Monarchy, the Second Republic and the early reign of Napoleon III.
His rather massive and hollow coins are recognisable by their green and white enamel. After the fall of the 1st Empire and in a gloomy economic climate – Napoleon’s campaigns had been expensive – the Comte de Provence, then the Comte d’Artois, wanted to recreate the Ancien Régime. The period was characterised by high inflation (almost 5%) and rising prices for raw materials such as gold and gemstones.
As a result, the jewellers of the time were inventive. Frames were lightened, less expensive but more colourful stones were used and no expense was spared on volume. The skills of jewellers were put to good use, often with remarkable results. The jewellery was intended to be light but particularly opulent. Drawings from the period feature ribbon or buckle designs, some of them quite complex, as in this German drawing from 1851 by Frankfurt-based Backes & Co.
2- A 19th-century necklace inspired by major archaeological discoveries
If there is one century that is a joy for those who love the history of jewellery, it is the 19th century. At that time, and given the various political changes, everything was tried and tested, and fashions changed very regularly. In this particularly turbulent period, history once again became a point of reference, and we looked for inspiration in what was no longer there and could no longer be moved. The great archaeological discoveries and the surge of interest in the Renaissance gave rise to a jewellery collection that was as eclectic as it was unexpected.
The necklace you’re looking at draws its inspiration from Greek jewellery. You see these triangles enriched with pearls, and you are looking at a reinterpretation of a jewel characteristic of the Pontics, a Greek-speaking people who lived mainly on the northern coasts of Anatolia, on the western coast of the Caucasus, in Crimea and as far away as Turkey. In these regions, this form of pendant was a lucky charm called Filakto (Filahto) in which a prayer could be kept.
In this nineteenth-century vision, the shapes are there and will inevitably evoke another astonishing piece: the Sutherland family necklace made around 1849, whose design is an interesting element of comparison with our necklace.
3- The crowned heart
A symbol of love, loyalty and fidelity, the crowned heart is a variation on a well-known motif seen on the so-called Claddagh rings traditionally given at the time of engagement. Whether single or double (at the time it was given at weddings symbolising the union of two families), it is an object with a strong emotional charge. It’s not a piece of jewellery given by chance. Although its exact origin is not well known, the earliest known examples date from the late 16th or early 17th century.
This small brooch bearing a number of symbols is a 19th-century work set with diamonds and a pink sapphire. The object’s small size is no match for its remarkable craftsmanship, making it as delicate as it is desirable.
4- A Cartier pocket watch by Edmond Jaeger
Lot 20: Cartier travel watch, hallmarked Edmond Jaeger, estimated at €3,000-4,000. Photo: Maurice Auction
On 21 March 1907, Cartier signed a contract with Edmond Jaeger committing him to sell his entire production to the company. The contract was renewed after the First World War in 1919. It is one of the most important exclusivity contracts between the House and one of its subcontractors.
If I mention Edmond Jaeger, it’s because this little travel watch shows us its hallmark and allows us to complete the story of this adorable object signed Cartier on its dial. And if you add the delicate powdery colour of the enamel and that chalcedony ring on the back, you get a highly desirable object like the vast majority of miniature and precious objects from the house with the panther and the famous red box..
And if you’re wondering who Edmond Jaeger is, he was a watchmaker based at 103 rue de Réaumur, then 1 rue Vernier in Paris. For certain requests, he turned to LeCoultre & Cie, which led to the creation of the famous Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmaking company in 1937.
5- The delicacy of a mesh of pearls
At the beginning of the 20th century, pearls were everywhere! A craze for pearls, or ” perlomania “, had taken hold of Paris and there were hundreds of dealers selling them. Pearls came in all shapes, sizes and colours, and were used in the most delicate jewellery, such as the fishnet I’ve chosen to present to you, inspiring jewellers to sublimate them.
In 1903, Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard developed oxygen-acetylene welding, making it possible to work with this somewhat capricious metal and thus establishing it in the jewellery industry. The 1910s were therefore characterised by the use of platinum and diamonds to produce luminous, sparkling white jewellery. This was the era of the “garland” style or “Edwardian” jewellery. Elegance and sleek lines are the key words when talking about these jewels, which symbolise an era!
6- Georges Lenfant for Hermès or love at first sight
The rope and the knot, two elements and symbols that jewellers play with, endlessly using them in their jewellery creations. Tying and untying, attaching and detaching, binding and untying, rope, cord and ribbon tell light-hearted, frivolous yet serious stories.
If you add to this the handiwork of the talented jewellers at the Georges Lenfant workshop, you get a pair of earrings that can only be described as “love forever”! This workshop, which has produced some remarkable pieces including sought-after chains and animal pieces, has created a pair of earrings that I could see myself adopting.
7- David Webb, l’Amérique, c’est l’Amérique!
Lots 38 and 39: Gold, diamond and ruby rings by David Webb. Estimated at between 8,000 and 12,000 for lot 38 and between 7,000 and 10,000 for lot 39. Photos: Maurice Auction.
Although the American jeweller David Webb needs no introduction, its pieces are not necessarily very common on the French market. Massive, opulent, colourful, ultra-joyful and above all instantly recognisable, the House’s creations delight the most famous clients in search of fabulous pieces.
Nicknamed the Houdini of gold, there’s no stopping him. He transforms and patinises gold, covering it with gemstones, each more colourful than the last, to reveal absolutely remarkable centre stones. For him, jewellery is an infinite playground. With Webb, I love everything: the stones, the volumes, the patterns and the contrasts that make his pieces so vibrant. Although the designer died in 1975, the house – which continues to exist – perpetuates his style and that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes his creations inimitable!
8- Elisabeth Gage, precious couture jewellery
When you admired this brooch, you may have thought it was a piece of costume jewellery of no great value. That’s the talent of independent English designer Elisabeth Gage, who knows how to blur the boundaries between genres and styles. With its luscious volumes and imposing, ultra-coloured stones, Gage jewellery (like Webb jewellery) is a world unto itself. The designer is inspired by everything and synthesises it all in an unclassifiable and particularly refreshing piece of jewellery! It’s joyful, it’s imposing, it’s fearless and God, it’s good!
See you soon!
