ArtDeco c1925 Bakelite TriColor RedBlueGreen Carved Ribbon Bow BrassPinBrooch

During the ArtDeco period when Gabriel "Coco" Chanel was at her peak as a Parisian couture fashion-designer in the early 1930s, this antique one-of-a-kind handcrafted gem-fringed and gilt-chain medallion brooch with trombone clasp was commissioned to accessorize one of her clothing designs. Marked only "FRANCE" like some early 1930s Chanel couture jewelry (without a brand stamp until the 1950s), its artistic origin is most likely from ornate organic-form sketches by her favorite parurer Fulco di Verdura. The Sicilian duke began creating fabric patterns for Chanel in 1927, which shortly expanded to fine jewelry beginning with custom pieces for herself. These include the iconic Byzantine-influenced gem-adorned cuffs referencing the Maltese military-cross, which the French designer can often be seen wearing in circa-1930s photos. This bright yellow-gold brooch suits goldsmith Verdura's early anti-Art-Deco aesthetic that was considered a radical departure from 1920s silver-tone jewelry, which otherwise featured linear geometric designs or figurative representation. The softly-shaped deconstructed gem-bouquet mixes amethyst and rose-quartz beads with natural Keshi pearls and intricate tiny gilt leaves, which are wired to a Baroque-motif open-work frame that dangles another gem surrounded by a thick gilt-rope halo. Notably, Verdura is credited with re-introducing since Victorian times the rope motif to jewelry. Since 1930, Verdura's unique style was influenced by travels with Chanel to explore Byzantine art, Baroque architecture, and exotic flora-and-fauna among his native Italian aristocratic estate. The legendary fashion-editor Diane Vreeland and American entertainment-stars were among the first Chanel clients to acquire couture real-gem-adorned jewelry made by Verdura, while one of the two brooches treasured by Vreeland was titled "Theodora". See our photo of the Byzantine mosaic of Empress Theodora, whose image wearing many teardrop pearls above her chest and surrounded by a golden halo seems to be the inspiration for this brooch. As one of the most important modern-design collaborations, Chanel's close relationship with Verdura lasted largely-undocumented years in Paris, until he launched his first outside jewelry venture with a Hollywood designer-boutique after emigrating to the United States in 1934. By 1939 as a financially-backed in-demand goldsmith, he founded the namesake jewelry-company Verdura in NYC. After he retired in 1973, the brand continued to operate without him with different owners. Given the duo's designs that played with historic and military references, Chanel's couture commission for this purple medallion may have been sparked in the early 1930s when the internationally-new...

This early Miriam Haskell lacquered-shell and brass-decorated clip brooch was created by Frank Hess, her first designer since 1926. The 1930s brooch features three seashells supporti...

Epitomizing the organic subjects and hand-craftsmanship spanning the Arts-&-Crafts to Art-Nouveau movements that were led in The United States by Louis Comfort Tiffany, this gifted o...

In the 1990s when the Dutch collective Droog introduced international leaders of late 20th-Century functional art such as Ron Arad, Marcel Wanders, Jurgen Bey, Hella Jongerius, and Tejo Remy, the Netherlands-based brand was one of the most successful producers of conceptual design. The collaboration was co-founded in 1993 in Amsterdam by the jewelry and product designer Gijs Bakker (b. 1942), who commissioned his protege French artist Frederic Braham in 1998 to create this one-of-a-kind brooch for his young Droog-represented jewelry line "Chi ha paura...?". The Italian phrase means "who is afraid of?". This natural satin-lustre South Sea black-Tahitian 15 x 10 mm baroque thick-nacred pearl, which is bezel-set in oxidized sterling on a sharp silver stud for push-back fastening as a lapel or tie pin, is surrounded by a removable textured gold disk brooch with the Chiapaura maker's mark, artist's signature, abbreviated year and assay symbol. Notably, while farmed pearls from this French-Polynesian region are scarce, it is rarer to find one over 12mm. This dark gray one is also exceptional for its desirable secondary tone of peacock green with minimal surface imperfections. From normal use, the unseen back of the disk is missing chips of ecru enamel where it contacts the fastening knob. This reveals that the disk is solid gold. Like other functional conceptual design represented by Droog, the brooch is more than a beautiful piece of fine jewelry featuring multiple contrasting elements, as it could be a provocative "third nipple" if worn on a tie or scarf. Given the Dutch origin of the brand, we recall the famous 15th-Century oil-painting by Johannes Vermeer, known as "Girl with a Pearl Earring". Who is afraid of girl or boy with a third nipple? We acquired this brooch from a jewelry collector who had purchased it from the Italian gallery...

Like Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Hattie Carnegie, and Pauline Trigere, Mary McFadden produced jewelry in the 20th Century to compliment her own couture-clothing designs. Unlike those fashion designers, McFadden handcrafted her sculptural jewelry, whereby her studio designs in brass since...

In Spring 1941 after French fashion couturier Gabriel "Coco" Chanel had stopped production of her clothing designs while she remained in Europe during the WWII era, the decades-old American costume-jewelry company Reinad began imprinting pieces in its new retail line, Chanel Novelty Co, with the script signature "Chanel". As this was prior to the use of the sans-serif capital-letter signature "CHANEL" on French-made jewelry that was commissioned by the Parisian designer, as well as before U.S.-copyright protection began in 1955, the House of Chanel that was mostly owned by the Jewish Wertheimer family of venture capitalists (who remarkably still produced Parfums CHANEL and French-vineyard wine via legal proxy while they lived in asylum in The States during the war) filed a U.S. lawsuit to demand that Reinad halt the use of its founder's famous last name. As the Werthheimers' quickly won, Reinad only produced the single seasonal collection stamped with the French brand name, and subsequently only imprinted its company name as the sans-serif capital-letter signature "REINAD" without a copyright symbol, which was different that its prior signatures dating back to its founding in 1922. When Chanel herself resumed French-made fashion production in Paris in 1953 (with Werthheimer support leading to their acquisition of all rights to her name despite her post-war eight-year exile in Switzerland due to close association with Nazis), for the first time all of her creations were signed "CHANEL" like the original packaging of the exceedingly profitable "No.5" perfume. While Reinad continued to produced costume jewelry until 1954, in the last decade of this business, the U.S. company continued to try to appeal to potential Chanel buyers by at least making Chanel-style designs. As such, owning an attractive and well-made Reinad piece can be considered a useful investment in fashion history as evidence of a little-known turning-point involving the most famous ongoing luxury-fashion business Chanel, as well as of the impact of that legal judgement had on advancing U.S. design protection for brands that later used the copyright symbol. Like early ArtDeco-style oversized heavy metallic costume jewelry by Chanel, this three-dimensional monochrome silver-alloy polkadot bow brooch imitates a pale polkadot-textured ribbon. Notably, while high-quality ribbon for styling hair or decorating clothing in a non-functional way was still an expensive accessory...

A resplendent piece by Van Cleef & Arpels, comprised of 218 fancy vivid yellow diamonds weighing approximately 25 carats VVS-VS, finely set in 18k yellow gold and designed as a quin...

A pair of ruby and diamond butterfly brooches, by Suzanne Belperron. Each designed as a butterfly with pavé-set diamond wings, enhanced by circular-cut ruby detail, to the baguette-cut diamond body, with French assay marks for platinum and gold Designed by Suzanne Belperron, with maker's mark for Atelier Groene et Darde (partially illegible) Accompanied by certificate no. B33901122012 dated 12 January 2012 from Belperron LLC stating that the pair of brooches...

Edwardian natural pearl and diamond pendant/brooch. An impressive convertible pendant/brooch, set to either side with two natural saltwater pearls and suspending four additional natu...

Made in Vienna, Austria in the 1950s. The brooch is finely modeled as a beautiful leaf. The green leaf is naturalistically carved from a single piece of nephrite jade and as fruits...

Pendant brooch by Child & Child. A pendant/brooch in three detachable sections, the uppermost composed of an elongated octagon with inward bowed sides set with one central diamond in a collet setting with a weight of 2.50 carats, flanked by trefoil forms set with six diamonds in bead settings with a combined weight of 1.20 carats, on a ground of pierced millegrain vertical bars, and encircled by a single scalloped border of twenty six diamonds in bead settings with a combined weight of 13.00 carats; the middle section composed of one central diamond in a collet setting with a weight of 1.20 carats, on a ground of pierced millegrain horizontal bars, and encircled by a stylized laurel wreath set with eighteen diamonds in bead settings with a combined weight of 2.16 carats, surmounted with two diamonds in collet settings with a combined weight of 0.15 carats, and encircled by a further five diamonds in collet settings with a combined weight of 1.50 carats; the bottom section in the same format and settings as the middle with one central diamond at a weight of 0.45 carats, eighteen diamonds weighing 0.90 total carats, two diamonds at 0.10 total carats, and five diamonds at 0.50 total carats, and also with a lower pendant composed of one diamond in a collet setting with a weight of 0.40 carats, above a bell form set with two diamonds in bead settings with a combined weight of 0.60 carats and with three diamonds in bead settings with a combined weight of 0.15 carats, above two more articulated links one composed of a diamond in a collet setting with a weight of 0.25 carats, above one mounted in the same fashion with a weight of 0.15 carats, all above an inverted tear shape link set with two rose cut diamonds in bead settings with a combined weight of 0.03 carats; all set with cushion shape old cut diamonds unless specified, millegrained throughout, and with a grand total of ninety three cushion shape old cut diamonds with an approximate total weight of 25.20 carats, and two round rose cut diamonds with an approximate total weight of 0.03 carats. The upper section is set to reverse with an entirely removable brooch bar with secure C spring clasp, and further set with two loops for a necklace to be attached. Each of the three sections are set with thread bars to attach or remove accordingly, with two threads set to the upper to form a choice of brooch or pendant as desired. Tested platinum, with makers mark for Child and...

Dog brooch set with lapis, coral and onyx by Mauboussin Paris, Numbered 2342. Ornately carved brooch, set with onyx nose, lapis eyes and coral ears and tongue. Mounted and set in yel...