Chopard Auction

In 1860, a 24-year-old son of a farmer, Louis-Ulysse Chopard (1836–1915), established the L.U.C. company — now known simply as Chopard, rather than by the founder’s initials — in Sonvilier, Switzerland. His initial work evolved from making mechanical movements to building the watches themselves, concentrating on making the pocket watch slimmer to carry for everyday use while also ensuring it was precise and reliable.

Early successes for Chopard included providing watches for the punctuality needs of the Swiss Railway Company. Recognizing the international market for Swiss watchmaking, Chopard traveled across Europe and Russia, with Czar Nicholas II becoming a client in 1912.

Chopard’s son, Paul-Louis, took over after Louis-Ulysse’s death in 1915 and expanded the business to La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1937, the company relocated to the watchmaking center of Geneva, where they could mark their work with the prestigious Geneva Seal. (Paul-Louis’s son, Paul-André, took the reins in 1943.) Business thinned in the postwar years, and Paul-André’s sons declined the opportunity to take over for their father.

In 1963, Chopard was acquired by German goldsmith and watchmaker Karl Scheufele III and his wife, Karin. Under their ownership, Chopard added jewelry to its offerings. The popular Happy Diamonds wristwatch debuted in 1976 — it launched a collection, which now features bracelets, rings and other items. The distinctive watch sees dozens of glittering diamonds, loosed from their settings, moving freely around the dial.

The story goes that the in-house designer Ronald Kurowski was inspired by the kinetic glimmers of sunlight on a waterfall in the Black Forest. He would then develop the innovative system for the Happy Diamonds timepiece that he hoped would essentially mimic his experience in the woods.

A young Caroline Scheufele — Karl and Karin’s daughter, who would later become copresident and artistic director — led the introduction of a Happy Diamonds jewelry line in 1985, with her design for a playful clown pendant with a belly full of jittering precious stones. Subsequent lines and accessories such as the Happy Dreams bracelet, Happy Hearts collection and the Happy Sport watches further enhanced Chopard’s range of dynamic adornment.

The Scheufele family-run company continues to be synonymous with excellence in timepieces, such as its role as the official timekeeper for the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, creating all of its movements in-house. And Chopard is constantly developing its wares, from sunglasses and fragrances to recent introductions of high-end handbags.

Find a wide range of vintage Chopard wristwatches, necklaces, rings and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

Rooted in centuries of history of adornment dating back to the ancient world, modern jewelry reimagines traditional techniques, forms and materials for expressive new pieces. As opposed to contemporary jewelry, which responds to the moment in which it was created, modern jewelry often describes designs from the 20th to 21st centuries that reflect movements and trends in visual culture.

Modern jewelry emerged from the 19th-century shift away from jewelry indicating rank or social status. The Industrial Revolution allowed machine-made jewelry using electric gold plating, metal alloys and imitation stones, making beautiful jewelry widely accessible. Although mass production deemphasized the materials of the jewelry, the vision of the designer remained important, something that would be furthered in the 1960s with what’s known as the “critique of preciousness.”

A design fair called the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” brought global attention to the Art Deco style in 1925 and gathered a mix of jewelry artists alongside master jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Mauboussin and Boucheron. Art Deco designs from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels unconventionally mixed gemstones like placing rock crystals next to diamonds while borrowing motifs from eclectic sources including Asian lacquer and Persian carpets. Among Cartier’s foremost design preoccupations at the time were high-contrast color combinations and crisp, geometric forms and patterns. In the early 20th century, modernist jewelers like Margaret De Patta and artists such as Alexander Calder — who is better known for his kinetic sculptures than his provocative jewelry — explored sculptural metalwork in which geometric shapes and lines were preferred over elaborate ornamentation.

Many of the innovations in modern jewelry were propelled by women designers such as Wendy Ramshaw, who used paper to craft her accessories in the 1960s. During the 1970s, Elsa Peretti created day-to-night pieces for Tiffany & Co. while designers like Lea Stein experimented with layering plastic, a material that had been employed in jewelry since the mid-19th century and had expanded into Bakelite, acrylics and other unique materials.

Find a collection of modern watches, bracelets, engagement rings, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

Also called Y necklaces as they are designed to hang a certain way, vintage drop necklaces are striking and adaptable. They can enhance everything from a casual sweater-and-jeans combo to an elegant heels-and-evening-dress pairing.

Adornment is an ancient human practice, with archeologists identifying early jewelry made from bones, claws and shells. As technology has advanced, so too have jewelry designs and the design of necklaces, from the simple to the intricate.

Drop necklaces come from lariat-style necklaces, which are chain necklaces that end in a tassel or pendant. A drop necklace’s design, meanwhile, is long with open ends, and it usually does not have a clasp. It consists of a single chain that wraps around the neck and a centerpiece — sometimes featuring a diamond or pearls — that hangs down to the middle of the chest. Drop necklaces frequently come in lengths from 16 to 20 inches, with the vertical lines making them appear longer than other necklaces of the same length.

Drop necklaces are extremely versatile, able to be worn knotted, draped or looped. They can be chunky statement pieces or thin, minimal designs. The range of drop necklaces that can be found on 1stDibs can accentuate the plunging necklines of modern looks or add flair to a basic ensemble.