Vintage Alexis Lahellec Gold Honeycomb Faux Pearl Dangling Earrings, circa 1980s

Vintage Carolee Gold and Faux Pearl Dangling Birdcage Earrings Circa 1980s. The earrings feature a gold bird with a pink cabochon and diamante face s...

Maison Gripoix Vintage Faux Pearl and Red Dangling Earrings. Wrapped in woven gold around the Pearl in the typical 1980s style of Chanel. Clip on. So classic, and you always look good no matter what you are wearing when you have these on. Clip on. Very much the colors of Chanel. Guy de Maupassant wrote a famous story about a necklace. The story is about a young, pretty, intelligent, well-educated but poorly endowed bride who has to marry a petty official; thus, suffering from the limitations of living a life with a husband that lacked any exquisite qualities. One day, to entertain his dejected spouse, her husband receives an invitation to a ball and gives his wife the 400 francs he had saved for a hunting rifle so that she can order an appropriate dress. However, when the dress is ready, it becomes clear that it is lacking jewelry, and it would be impossible to attend the ball while looking so poor. The protagonist approaches her wealthy childhood friend, with whom she was raised at the monastery, and borrows a diamond necklace from her. The ball is a great success, and she is the centre of attention. However, when the woman returns home, she discovers that she has lost the necklace. To conceal her faux pas from her friend, she buys a new necklace identical to the one she lost. To pay it off, the woman gets into a huge debt, which, over the years, gradually drags her down the social ladder from the bourgeoisie to poverty. Ten years later, having lost her good looks, the woman encounters her friend on the Champs Elysees, who still looks young, beautiful, and rich. The protagonist reveals to her friend the entire story about the necklace, but her friend replies in amazement that the diamonds were fake and would “cost 500 francs at most.” Maison Gripoix starts out with a dramatic story. In 1869 (or a year earlier, according to other sources), Paris master glassmaker Augustina Gripoix began creating replicas of pearls and crystals, casting glass into various shapes and colors and inserting them into the most sophisticated settings. She used the pâte de verre (glass paste) technique, whereby a traditional ceramic or gypsum form was filled with a multi-colour piece of glass and special gluing substances and then baked in a furnace, resulting in objects featuring fantastical hues. Only Augustina made her crystals by pouring the melted glass paste into the press moulds, skipping the furnace step, allowing her to achieve the purity of colour, transparency, and shine. She found a simple method to create beautiful jewelry, and thus, Marquises, Duchesses, and Princesses queued up. Madame Gripoix would then create replicas of their own jewelry in case of robbery or loss or unusual pieces for their new wraps, neckpieces, or boas. The so-called ‘costume jewelry’ emerged to a large extent thanks to the work of Maison Gripoix. Augustina Gripoix earned her fame in the 1890s when she began creating necklaces for Sarah Bernhardt to wear on stage and later designed costume jewelry for the first high fashion house of Charles Frederick Worth. Later, Paul Poiret, the leading couturier of 1910, contacted her, and she created sophisticated Oriental-style jewelry for him to match his famous Oriental costumes, based on the aesthetic of Diaghilev’s initial Russian seasons. The value of costume jewelry was now being recognized in its own right and not just for imitation purposes. The taste of emancipated young girls, who were gaining more and more freedom and opportunities, was best met with bijouterie. So in the 1920s, when Augustina’s daughter Susan became the head of the House, Gripoix prospects became even more exciting. Girls with short-cropped hair in short dresses zoomed by in open-top cars wearing bijou rather than diamonds. Everyone ordered bijouterie from Madam Gripoix during this period, from Jeanne Lanvin to Jean Piguet...

Vintage Alexis Lahellec Paris Earrings. Parisian designer Alexis Lahellec crafted wondrous costume jewellery during the latter part of the 20th Century. His creations range from classics with a fabulous twist to hugely exotic designs of wearable art. A timeless piece of Parisian cool. Vintage Condition: Very good overall condition. Very light wear to the earring clip backs. Materials: Gold Plated Metal, Glass crystals Signed: Alexis Lahellec, Paris Fastening: Clip on Approximate Dimensions: 3.3cm Established in 2016, this is a British brand that is already making a name for itself in the jewellery world both at home and internationally. My business has been built with love; a love of discovery, a passion for vintage jewellery and a desire to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience. Sourcing the very best vintage jewellery from across the globe, each piece in my collection has been carefully chosen and curated by me so that I can share its unique story with you. Timeless treasures, selected for their superior design, quality and individuality, I have built a collection like no other. Immersed in the wonderful world of antiques from an early age, vintage jewellery has always had a special place in my heart. Forever fascinated by these intricate pieces of wearable art, I feel incredibly lucky to work in an industry that I love; an industry unlike any other. Choosing a vintage jewel is a deeply personal experience. As well as celebrating the very finest design and craftsmanship from the last century, the perfect jewel should express your unique style, and more importantly, get your heart racing. Sitting at the very heart of the brand, my aim is to offer you an experience as wonderful and individual as the jewels in my collection. By choosing to re-wear pieces of art from the last century, we are naturally supporting sustainable fashion...

A super chic pair of Vintage Pearl Matelasse Earrings. Featuring a large matelasse patterned in gold plated metal and a large glass imulated pearl drop. In very good vintage conditio...