16, Boulevard De Magenta

Precious Set with Burma Rubies & Diamonds Set in Gold by Paul Lévy, Paris ca. 1940

€ 29,790.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Precious Set with Burma Rubies & Diamonds Set in Gold by Paul Lévy, Paris ca. 1940

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

What a glowing red! This set of brooch, earclips and ring comes from Paris, from the turbulent years of Art Deco. Warmly shining rose gold is laid in dynamic sweeps, sometimes smoothly polished, sometimes worked as if knitted. Precious rubies are set everywhere. They are untreated rubies from Burma, wonderfully transparent and of the best quality. The set, a so-called demi-parure, is signed. It bears the hallmark of Paul Lévy, who founded his store in Paris at 16 Boulevard de Magenta in February 1919. Bold, so soon after World War I, yet Lévy soon stood high in the public's favor. He created work for large firms such as van Cleef, but also sold under his own name as well as under his wife's last name, Sasportas. He created works in the taste of Art Deco in all its varieties, but also in historical styles, depending on the wishes of his customers. The combination of rubies, a few diamonds and rose gold, as well as the sculptural design language of the set, refers to the late years of Art Deco, the so-called "Retro Style" of the late 1930s and 1940s. The jewellery of this period is no longer white, as it was at the beginning of Art Deco, but revels in warm tones and large, sculptural shapes. Often the designs look like swaths of fabric billowed by the wind, full of dramatic dynamism: a little of this can be seen, for example, in the design of the brooch. Paul Lévy died on September 2, 1940, so he did not have to experience the Aryanization of his business by the German occupation. We therefore date the set to these late years of his life. Independent appraisals confirming the quality of the materials are included with the jewelry.

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One of the most beautiful and typical pieces of Art Deco jewelry is the clip. Extravagant, precious, usually set with diamonds, have produced Cartier, Boucheron and Van Cleef and Arpels from the late 1920s in Paris and soon followed them the goldsmiths of the whole world. What was special about this new type of brooch was that it could no longer be worn only on the lapel, but anywhere on the dress, on the belt, on the bag and even in the hair. Often as a pair, but gladly also individually, could be set so surprising accents, which were not possible so far. At the time of their introduction, the shape of the clips was initially flat, the surfaces richly set with diamonds. In the course of the 1930s, more voluminous, geometric shapes came into fashion. Also, yellow gold again replaced the previously favored white gold, in line with the general trend of Art Deco. One last innovation before the upheaval of the Great War was the redesign of the back holder towards the end of the 1930s. Whereas previously there had been a single large plate with a spring mechanism, now two interconnected pins were used. On the history of the clip, see David Bennett/Daniela Mascetti: Understanding Jewellery, Woodbridge 2010, pp. 322-325, with numerous illustrations.

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Size & Details

16, Boulevard De Magenta

€ 29,790.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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16, Boulevard De Magenta

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