Maison Gerard Gold Collar

During the 1970s and early 1980s, M. Gérard was renowned all over the world for its elegant collections of jewelry. Boasting a wealth of jet-set clientele from across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the firm once enjoyed great success as the largest and most prominent French exporter of luxury adornment. 

M. Gérard was founded in 1968 by Louis Gérard, who was born in Paris in 1923 and came from a long line of jewelers and goldsmiths. He began his career in jewelry design while working in Paris for the prestigious jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels. Driven by a desire to create his line of “the most beautiful jewels in the world,” Gérard left Van Cleef & Arpels after nearly 20 years and opened his first boutique at 8 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. 

Under the name M. Gérard, the house's founder designed exquisite suites of jewelry, including dangle earrings and clip-on earrings set with precious gems such as diamonds, rubies and emeralds; 18-karat gold interlocking link bracelets studded with sapphires and other jewels; dazzling link necklaces and other accessories.

In 1975, when minimalist jewelry was the order of the day — and a pioneering designer named Elsa Peretti was creating simple but sophisticated pieces for Tiffany & Co. — M. Gérard’s offerings were timely and modern. The firm introduced a line that targeted men, and its creative pieces occasionally saw an integration of slate or steel.

Much of M. Gérard’s designs were produced in the workshop of French jeweler Andre Vassort, whom Gérard met when he was working at Van Cleef & Arpels. Vassort — one of the 20th century’s most important manufacturers of French jewelry whose clients included the likes of Boucheron and Mauboussin — produced M. Gérard’s accessories for many years. 

M. Gérard boutiques opened across Europe, including locations in London, Gstaad, Monte Carlo and Lausanne. The brand was also known to throw lavish parties for wealthy clients and host extravagant fashion shows in high-end locales like Cannes and Monte Carlo. 

However, by 1985, M. Gérard’s fortunes began to fade. Due to massive over-expenditure, the firm struggled financially and Gérard was forced to sell to a group of American investors. Despite being repurchased and relaunched as Louis Gérard, Joaillier International, with a new boutique at 16 Avenue Montaigne, the company closed its doors in 1991.

Today, the name M. Gérard is still revered among collectors of 20th-century French fine jewelry. 

Shop vintage M. Gérard earrings, bracelets and necklaces 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.

Vintage chain necklaces can make a statement on their own. What’s better than eye-catching chains of yellow gold or subtle silver to accessorize with everything from a designer evening dress to a comfortable sweatshirt?

Personal ornament in general has been around for eons. Ancient Egyptians designed jewelry and wore necklaces, rings and other accessories, and the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber in 1922 had the greatest impact on Art Deco jewelry. When chain necklaces first took on some visibility in ancient civilizations, these items weren’t exactly democratic.

Chain necklaces were accessories that were relegated strictly to royal families and the upper class. In ancient times, pendant necklaces conferred prestige, for example. Wealthy Greeks and Romans opted for gold and silver necklaces that featured ornate pendants and semiprecious stones. By the Renaissance period, the pendant had replaced the brooch as the most worn type of jewelry. Pendant necklaces were commonplace, or pendants were simply strung on long gold chains.

Thankfully, jewelry became more accessible over time. And trends have come and gone, but the popularity of chain necklaces today owes in part to hip-hop culture. Big, chunky gold chains and diamond necklaces were the order of the day in publicity shoots and on album covers for rappers in the early 1980s onward, and a gold chain is still a mainstay in the ever-evolving and broadening hip-hop culture as we know it.

In our modern era, a number of chain-link necklaces are trending, worn alone or layered. The stylish links that have passed the test of time include oval links, paper-clip chains and more. The best way to discover your perfect fit is to zero in on a particular name and type of link.

While it was once key to accessorizing for a formal event, a vintage chain necklace now adds a fresh dynamic to any outfit at any time of day. Find yours on 1stDibs.