NEWSLETTER Vol. 25, No. 1, Spring 2011

historiansAmerican Society ofewelryJ

A Letter from thePresident

Dear ASJH Member:

We kicked off our 25th Anniversarycelebrations with an exclusive cura-tor-led tour of Set in Style: TheJewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels at theCooper-Hewitt Museum. The eventwas sold out within a few days, large-ly due to the efforts of board mem-bers Sarah Coffin of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, Nicolas Luchsingerof Van Cleef & Arpels and DianaSinger, ASJH Program Chair for NewYork. Our all-volunteer board devotes

an incredible amount of resources and time to create our newsletters andprogramming and we have also spent a significant amount of time identify-ing and reaching out to new board members.

As a result, we have put together an impressive election slate this year,which will infuse the board with new talent and perspective that will help usto build upon a solid foundation. Patricia Kiley Faber is running for the posi-tion of President, Sarah Coffin for Vice-President and Kim Vagner forSecretary. I know you will also be pleased to welcome Hilary Heard, Dr.Joseph Levine and Mark Schaffer to the board. Hilary Heard brings with herextensive marketing experience and Dr. Joseph Levine brings a collector’sperspective, enabling us to tap still wider audiences. Mark Schaffer brings atradition of expertise in antique and period jewelry and succeeds anotherdistinguished board member, his uncle and colleague, Peter Schaffer. Thisdynamic group shall steer the Society for the next few years and I hope youwill join me and support their nomination with your votes.

Warmly,

Reema KeswaniASJH PresidentEmail: info@jewelryhistorians.orgPhone: 914-235-0983

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Contents

3 PAUL FLATO: JEWELER TO THE STARS8 OLD JAVANESE GOLD: THE HUNTER THOMPSON COLLECTION AT YALE UNIVERSITY14 NEW ACQUISITION FROM THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON15 Cartier: The Power of Style18 ASJH Elections20 Calendar

ABOVE: Paul Flato gold, ruby anddiamond puffy heart brooch,circa 1939. Sotheby’s, New York

COVER: Demon-shaped kris han-dle. East Java, Late Classic peri-od (1000–1400 C.E.). 2008.21.8.Yale University Art Gallery

ASJH Events

Renaissance Jewels of Bavaria, May 12A discussion of jewelry portraits cre-ated by the painter and manuscriptilluminator Hans Mielich for theDukes of Bavaria in RenaissanceGermany in the form of a Jewel Book,meticulously documenting the mostimportant pieces. This lecture by jew-elry historian Stefanie Walker willoffer insights into the technique,style, and design of Renaissance jew-elry, so frequently a source of inspira-tion for generations of designers.

The Hidden Techniques of theMacedonian Goldsmiths, Sept. 15Techniques formulated in ancienttimes and lands have enduredthrough the ages, and many areused even to this day. Explore thesehidden techniques perfected by theMacedonians centuries ago withDr. Monica Jackson, a archeologistand historian specializing in ancientjewelry from the Mediterranean.

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PAUL FLATO:JEWELER TO THE STARS

A lecture by Elizabeth Irvine Bray to theAmerican Society of Jewelry Historians atThe Fashion Institute of Technology, NewYork City, December 16, 2010.

Synopsis by Jane Tiger

Paul Flato was one of the most enigmatic andfascinating jewelry designers of the twentiethcentury. His jewels were worn by the rich andfamous and were prominently featured in sixmajor films of the 1930s and 1940s. More thanhalf a century later, Flato’s distinctive jewelrystill remains innovative, stylish and greatlysought after. His personal triumphs and fail-ures are unforgettable stories that ElizabethIrvine Bray presented in her slide lecturebased on her new beautifully illustrated bookPaul Flato: Jeweler to the Stars.

Born in a southeast Texas town in 1900,Flato was raised in a large family of prosper-ous merchants and ranchers, who made himfeel comfortable with wealthy people. Pre-oilTexas was a land of cotton, ranching, cowboys and nomadic Gypsies,and Flato’s boyhood was filled with Western myths and a taste foradventure. He went to New York City at the height of the RoaringTwenties to attend Columbia University but dropped out after onlyone year. He apprenticed with a Swiss jeweler and watchmaker, butafter a couple of years he went into business on his own.

Flato began in the jewelry business by selling large engagementrings and pearl necklaces to friends from Columbia University. Byage twenty-seven, he had his own exclusive boutique on 57th Streetcatering to socialites and to the wealthy, and by the mid 1930s hewas creating one-of-a-kind jewels for his fast growing clientele. Flatowas charming, funny, a master salesman, and had a flair for the the-atrical. He enlisted Brenda Frazier, debutante of the year 1939 andon every fashion magazine cover, to model a necklace that hedesigned with the 125-carat Jonker diamond, the third largest in theworld at the time. The Jonker was owned by Harry Winston, then alargely unknown diamond dealer, who supplied Flato with impor-tant diamonds. Flato designed the settings for these stones and soldthe pieces to his clients.

By the early 1930s, Flato shifted away from selling pearls andlarge diamond “ice cube” rings and hired a team of designers. Flatoclaimed that he couldn’t draw a line, but stood over his designers,while they drew thousands of sketches and renderings of jewels,

The book cover features anaquamarine and ruby bucklenecklace, circa 1939, designedfor Mrs. Cole Porter. The inkand gouache is the originaldesign drawing. Necklace:

Siegelson, New York. Drawing:Christie’s Images

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changing, editing and making suggestions as theyworked. Part of Flato’s genius was in choosing verycreative and talented people to work for him. GeorgeHeadley was an artist with a background in fashiondesign and was responsible for the unusual gold jew-elry, objets de vertu and boxes that were commis-sioned by Flato’s customers. His designs were highlyconceptual and surreal. The growing Surrealist ArtMovement in Europe was a major influence onFlato’s jewelry design. The chunky 14-karat goldbanister cuff bracelet, which he made for EvalynWalsh McLean in 1938, incorporated architec-tural three-dimensional elements totallyunlike the slender and flat bracelets of the1920s. These designs were innovative andshocking at the time.

Nature also had a major influence onFlato’s jewelry, as seen in his 1938 collectionbased on the rose; it took a year to design,choose the diamonds and have his craftsmenproduce the jewels. These large, highly sculp-tural pieces refer back to nineteenth-centurycourt jewels, but with a modern twist.Josephine Forrestal, wife of James V. Forrestal,

Secretary of the Navy under PresidentRoosevelt, helped Flato design a line of jewelrythat she called wiggly clips. It utilized thetechnique known as en tremblant, oftenfound on Victorian pieces. Mounted onsprings, the gems would tremble with thewearer’s every movement. Incorporatingdesigns from previous eras was a thirdmajor element found again and againin Flato’s jewelry.Standard Oil heiress Millicent Rogers

Balcom was another member of Flato’sunusual design team. Appearing regularly on

the International Best Dressed List, she and Flatocollaborated together to design fat heart brooches, that were best

sellers. These puffy hearts were often pierced by an arrow, a com-mon motif, representing the healing of broken hearts.

The most famous of Flato’s designers was Fulco, Duke ofVerdura, a Sicilian aristocrat who started his jewelry career workingfor Coco Chanel in Paris. At the urging of Linda and Cole Porter,Verdura immigrated to America, was introduced to Flato by celebrat-ed fashion journalist Diana Vreeland (later Vogue editor) and beganworking for him on a freelance basis. Both men were eccentric,social and charming; both were intrigued by religion and the super-natural and especially appreciated a sense of humor and whimsy injewelry. Verdura’s pieces had such cachet that Flato marketed themas Verdura for Flato. By 1939, Verdura formed his own jewelry firmat 712 Fifth Avenue thanks to both better rendering skills and a star-

ABOVE: Diamond and platinum rosebrooch, circa 1938. Siegelson, NewYork. Photograph by Doug Rosa

BELOW: Pair of emerald bead, dia-mond and platinum cactus clipbrooches made for Mrs. ColePorter, circa 1937. Chrisite’s Images

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studded client list that he had devel-oped while working for Flato.

Flato was enraptured by other cul-tures and loved to travel. Inspired bytrain boxcars lined with banana leavesthat he saw in Honduras, he created adetailed banana leaf brooch naturalisti-cally rendered in diamonds. In Cusco,Peru he bought an old wedding ringadorned with two hands clasped togeth-er. He incorporated the human handinto many designs including a line ofbrooches called Deaf and Dumb. Theseclips were sculpted gold female handsposed in letters of the sign languagealphabet, or displaying the wearer’smonogram in sign language letters. Bythe mid 1930s, Flato was very hard ofhearing and wore a hearing aid.

By the late 1930s, Flato had manyclients on the West Coast in the enter-tainment industry. The Hollywooddirector George Cukor approached himto design jewels for the film Holiday, starring Katherine Hepburnand Cary Grant. Working closely with Verdura, Flato received filmcredit for his contributions, the first jeweler to achieve such status.In a logical next step, Flato opened a jewelry boutique at 8637Sunset Boulevard across the street from the famed Trocadero night-club. Beginning in February 1938, he had several opening partiesattended by many film stars and other Hollywood luminaries. Atone party the designer, Elsa Schiaparelli, purchased a pair of surreal-ist inspired cactus brooches very similar to those that Flato madefor Mrs. Cole Porter. These remarkable pavé-set diamond clips with

ABOVE: Sapphire, diamond andplatinum wiggly brooch, circa

1936. Dr. Katherine Klehr.Photograph by Sam Levita

BELOW: Millicent RogersBalcom’s ruby, sapphire

and yellow diamond heartbrooch, circa 1938.

Photograph by David Behl

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emerald bead terminals were a new twiston Flato’s formal naturalistic flowerdesigns. Unlike the traditional match-ing double clip brooches of the1920s, each cactus clip had aslightly different design thatrelated to its pair, but was notidentical. Flato also created forLinda Porter a stunning aquama-rine necklace in the form of abelt with buckle enhanced bycalibré-cut ruby detail. Both thehighly original color combina-tion and design exemplifiedFlato’s skill at transforming themundane into the beautiful.During the next few years,

Flato designed jewelry for five moremotion pictures and worked with many

iconic names in costume design and direct-ing. Merle Oberon wore Flato’s large citrine and

gold cuff bracelet in That Uncertain Feeling. RitaHayworth wore his dramatic diamond necklace in Bloodand Sand. Constance Bennett co-starring with GretaGarbo in Two Faced Woman, wore Flato’s oversizedamethyst bracelet and a pavé-set diamond ring of bombédesign. The entire set of this jewelry was sold atSotheby’s in the late 1980s, but only the dress clips weresigned by Flato, a good example of how his pieces areoften not signed. Ginger Rogers, a devoted Flato cus-tomer, wore his stunning diamond flower cascade neck-lace, chunky bracelet, and ring, when accepting the Oscarin 1940 for Kitty Foyle. Marlene Dietrich’s one-hundred-twenty-eight-carat cabochon emerald bracelet epitomizedthe trend for enormous gemstones worn on the wrist.Flato designed the piece so that Dietrich could take thehuge emerald out of the bracelet and snap it into theprongs of a ring, exemplifying the 1940s taste for multi-use, convertible jewelry.

On September 30, 1941, Flato’s Sunset Boulevardstore was robbed of nearly $50,000 of jewelry, but the worst

blow to Flato’s business came two months later, when theJapanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Retail sales for the subsequentChristmas season were so meager that he had to close his LosAngeles store. On March 11, 1943, a $60,000 diamond given toFlato on memo mysteriously disappeared from his safe. Nervousjewelers, who had heard rumors about his shaky finances, came tocollect the pieces that they had given him on consignment. Flatohad pawned much of the jewelry and was charged with grand lar-ceny. In a dramatic sentencing, he was ordered to serve 18 monthsprison time and was taken directly from court to Sing Sing, themost notorious prison in America.

Diamond and gold bow andflower motif cascade necklacedesigned by George Headleyfor Flato, circa 1938. Siegelson,New York. Photograph byDoug Rosa

Spring 2011 7

Flato left prison in 1945 with $21 in his pocket and $600,000in debt. In a small, rented Manhattan apartment, he createda line of costume compacts and enjoyed some success.Borrowing money on other people’s jewelry and losingit got him into trouble again, and he ended up backin prison. Upon his release, he decided to leave theU.S. and to make a fresh start in Mexico. With finan-cial help from a cousin, he opened a jewelry shop inthe fashionable Zona Rosa in 1970, creating pieceswith a folk art feeling inspired by the treasures ofindigenous Mexicans. He designed large gold collarnecklaces, chunky rings, textured links made into ear-rings and bracelets, and several important pieces usinglarge high-quality emeralds. Living in Mexico for a decade,he was highly successful, had many close friends and onceagain received recognition for his jewelry designs. At ageninety, he returned to Texas and lived there until his death onJuly 17, 1999.

In 1994, 2,000 full-color Paul Flato jewelry renderings fromhis New York and Los Angeles shops sold at auction for nearly$200,000. A year later, a stunning diamond Flato bracelet sold atSotheby’s for a record price of $233,500. Jewelry dealers and collec-tors, emboldened by the strong prices, began to pay higher andhigher premiums for Flato’s work. Most jewelry historians wouldagree that Flato’s jewels from the 1930s were his greatest achieve-ment. Paul Flato, Jeweler to the Stars, remains a uniquely talentedjewelry designer of the twentieth century, who has finally found hisplace in history.

TOP: Banister cuff bracelet, 14-karat gold, made for Evalyn

Walsh McLean in 1938.Sotheby’s, New York

LEFT AND ABOVE: Gold, diamond,ruby and enamel sign language

clip brooches, circa 1938.

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OLD JAVANESE GOLD:THE HUNTER THOMPSONCOLLECTION AT YALE UNIVERSITY

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT,March 25 to August 14, 2011.

By Ruth Barnes, The Thomas Jaffe SeniorCurator of Indo-Pacific Art at Yale UniversityArt Gallery

A magnificent gift of almost 500 gold objectsfrom Java has recently come to the YaleUniversity Art Gallery, and a special display ison view this spring and summer to celebrateits arrival. Old Javanese Gold: The HunterThompson Collection features about 200pieces from the collection, including a largevariety of personal adornments, small reli-gious statues, containers and coins. The dona-tion came from Hunter and ValerieThompson, who became interested in Javanesegold in the 1980s and managed to bringtogether one of the largest collections in pri-vate hands.1 Readers of this Newsletter will beespecially interested in the jewelry, whichincludes necklaces and torques, bracelets andarmlets, several hundred ear ornaments, fingerrings, a headdress, amulets and clasps for fas-tening clothes. But the exhibition also includes

small statues of deities, temple offerings, gold coins and vessels thatwere used in a ritual context.

Most of the objects on view were made in Java, in present-dayIndonesia, between the eighth and fourteenth centuries C.E. A smallpart of the collection goes back to the prehistoric or early historicperiod (200 B.C.E. to 700 C.E.). Southeast Asia has been on the cross-roads of cultural and economic contacts between South and East Asiafor at least two thousand years, and Java has played a pivotal role inthis exchange of goods and ideas. During the second half of the firstmillennium C.E. the island’s population came under the influence ofthe religions of South Asia, in particular Hinduism and Buddhism.Great religious structures were built in Central Java during the ninthand tenth centuries, of which the most famous are Borobudur, theworld’s largest Buddhist monument, and the Hindu temples atPrambanan. Smaller temples still dot the landscape of Central andEast Java, attesting to a magnificent past that produced exceptionallyfine architecture and sculpture. The gold objects presented here areof a small scale, but they need to be seen and understood in this his-torical context.2

Ear ornament. East Java, LateClassic period (1000–1400 C.E.).2007.142.184

Spring 2011 9

Gold is valued in most cultures for its purity and lustrous quality.It does not tarnish, unlike silver, and it does not corrode, unlikebronze, even when buried. In a Western context gold has gained ahigh status in monetary terms and has become the standard againstwhich currencies are valued. In Southeast Asia it has taken on a spir-itual value that goes far beyond its economic importance. In contem-porary Indonesian societies, gold is frequently associated with thedivine, and when speaking of qualities attributed toGod, the vocabulary used may be etymologicallyrelated to “golden.” It is very likely that a similarinterpretation was familiar to people in ancientJava, as gold played an essential part in rituals andreligious ceremonies.

The objects in the exhibition are displayed insix groups. The first shows gold used at the princelycourts of Central and East Java. Gold headdresseswere worn on ceremonial occasions, and belts andjeweled clasps held clothes in place. The upper bodywas usually nude, but richly decorated with neck-laces and heavy gold chains. Armlets studded with

BELOW: Leaves from aheaddress. Central Java, EarlyClassic period (650–1000 C.E.).

2007.142.347-.353

BOTTOM: Tiger claw necklaceon a torque. Central Java,

Early Classic period(650–1000 C.E.). 2008.21.110

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jewels were part of formal dress, as were finger rings, bracelets andanklets. A tiger claw necklace, with claws curving outward from itswire torque, would have been worn by a young man of the upperclass in the hope that the ornament would confer the strength andcourage of the animal on the wearer. A ceremonial dagger (kris) stillis an essential part of court dress. Some kris are believed to holdmystical powers of protection. The kris handle often received partic-ular attention, as in the example illustrated here, which takes theshape of a protective demon in courtly dress. Collections of Javanesegold sometimes have very small, gem-set rings. These are often calledbird rings, said to have been fastened to the feet of pet song birds.Although the Javanese still are inordinately fond of their song birdsand indulge them in many ways, it is more likely that these delicaterings were worn as hair or ear ornaments.

The next group explores the use of gold in religious rites. Goldwas used in temple rituals, as offerings at consecration ceremoniesand in religious celebrations. Small sculptures of Hindu andBuddhist deities were placed at key locations within shrines, andthey have also been found in sacred caves. Pilgrims brought gold-sheet votive images, asking for blessings or deliverance from illness.Small gold-sheet offerings were often found at temple sites. Goldparaphernalia were used by priests, or worn by them during cere-

Offering in the shape of a lotus.Central Java, Early Classicperiod (650–1000 C.E.).2008.21.27

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monies. Two examples are illustrated here: a small gold pendant anda large rattle probably worn by a Sivaite ascetic.

The precious metal was not found in Java, but had to be import-ed from Sumatra and Borneo. It is likely that manufactured goldobjects were traded between mainland and maritime Southeast Asia,but most of the jewelry, statues, containers and temple offeringswere made locally. The earliest gold objects surviving from Java werehammered into a thin sheet. This was cut into the desired shape andcould be shaped and decorated further by hammering from the back(repoussé), and by tracing or incising from the front. No heat wasused. Gold sheet is fragile and easily bent out of shape. When usedfor jewelry, it was sometimes spread over a pith or clay core. Morecomplex gold smith techniques developed in the early centuries C.E.They included the use of heat to produce mold casting and lost-waxtechnique. Fine details were added by soldering gold wire or granula-tion. Gems were held in place by raised collars, sunken settings, orsoldered claws. Gold wire was braided into long necklaces.

Market and Trade are explored in another display. Although theopulent presence of gold at court and in religious ceremonies empha-sized luxury, gold jewelry was widely available in Javanese society,especially in the form of personal jewelry. Most people wore earornaments and finger rings. A goldsmith’s workshop would work on

LEFT: Pendant showing a maleteacher (guru) holding lontar

(palm leaf) books. Central Java,Early Classic period (650–1000

C.E.). 2007.142.271

TOP: Amulet rattle pendantworn by a Sivaite ascetic. EastJava, Late Classic period, 13th

century. 2008.21.119

ABOVE: Lotus-shaped ring withthe purnagatha (urn of plenty)

at the bezel center. CentralJava, Early Classic period

(650–1000 C.E.). 2008.21.112

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commission, but also had a selection of ready-made jewelry on offer.Payment might have been made with gold or silver currency whichwas used in Java by the 8th century. One coin pendant in the collec-tion is a poignant reminder of Java’s far-flung connections at thetime: it is a copy of an eighth century Byzantine coin, made in Indiabut found in Central Java.

The earliest items in the collection were discovered in graves,most of them dated to the Preclassic period (pre-600 C.E.). They arethin sheets of gold cut into facial features, with eyebrows and noseoften combined, and a separate mouth; occasionally eyes are added.Apparently they were placed onto the face of the deceased as part ofthe burial ritual. One life-size burial mask is also in the collection.Small holes along the rim suggest that it may have been stitched toa shroud.

The final display focuses on patterns and shapes that werefavored in Java from the Protoclassic to the Late Classic period. Thecontinuity of specific shapes is remarkable, especially when we real-ize that some shapes have persisted even longer elsewhere inIndonesia and were still in use in the twentieth century. Surfacedecoration used tendrils and vines, often closely covering all avail-able space.

The Gallery is producing a revised and expanded edition of theclassic 1990 publication Old Javanese Gold, a catalogue of the collec-tion written by John Miksic, Associate Professor of Southeast AsianStudies, National University of Singapore. This revised edition, pub-lished by the Gallery and distributed by Yale University Press inSpring 2011, features all new photography, as well as new research

TOP: Five ear ornaments.Central Java, Early Classicperiod (650–1000 C.E.).2007.142.104-.107, .110

ABOVE: Coin pendant. Indiancopy of an 8th-centuryByzantine coin, found inCentral Java. 2008.21.10

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and reports on recent archaeological discoveries. Old Javanese Goldis the inaugural exhibition of the Department of Indo-Pacific Art, cre-ated in spring 2009. In addition to the Thompson Collection, theGallery’s growing holdings in the field include an extraordinary col-lection of more than 700 sculptures from maritime Southeast Asiaand the Indonesian textiles originally gathered by experts RobertHolmgren and Anita Spertus, all of which are promised to theGallery by Thomas Jaffe for the purpose of forming a new depart-ment. In 2012, the Gallery will open a permanent-collection galleryfor the department.

1 John Miksic, Old Javanese Gold. Singapore: Ideation, 1990.2 Jan Fontein, The Sculpture of Indonesia. Washington, D.C. and New York:National Gallery of Art and Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1990.

LEFT: Funerary face cover.Central Java, Preclassic period(pre-600 C.E.). 2008.21.76a-d

ABOVE: Pair of spiral-shapedearrings. East Java, Late

Classic period (1000–1400C.E.). Similar ear ornamentswere still worn recently in

eastern Indonesia.2007.142.360a-b

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NEW ACQUISITION FROM THE

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

By Yvonne Markowitz, Rita J. Kaplan andSusan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry

Gem-set necklace. Bulgari (Italian,1884–present). About 1986. Gold (18 kt),pearl, tourmaline, citrine, and peridot.Height x width x depth: 16.5 x 13 x 1 cm(6 ½ x 5 1/8 x 3/8 in.) Marks: BD/8621;impressed polygonal cartouche with star2337AL750; impressed Bvlgari on clasp.Gift of Bulgari L-G 179.1.2010.

The Bulgari tradition starts in the Greek townof Kallarrytes, a small village located near theAlbanian border and an area with a rich histo-ry of metalwork handed down from “father toson since Byzantine times.”1 Politicalupheavals in the Balkan Peninsula caused thefamily to relocate to Italy in 1880. Sotirios

Boulgaris, who both designed and fabricated jewelry, started the Bulgari firmin Rome several years later. The business was an immediate success and hesoon opened a summer location in the Swiss resort town St. Moritz.

One hundred years later, the business had evolved into a world-renownedjewelry house with celebrity clientele, such as Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor,and Sharon Stone, along with European royalty and international fashion-istas. The business expanded yet again in 1970 when the firm opened a NewYork City boutique. The business flourished during the 1980s, with Bulgarisetting the standard for high-style jewelry which other firms, both Americanand European, quickly adopted.

The jewelry Bulgari created during the 1980s incorporated colorful stonesthat complimented the fashions of the period. One Bulgari designer, OmarTorres, described this “harmony of colours,” as a thoughtful process by whichcolor combinations were carefully studied, often favoring bold combinationsof color from opposite ends of the spectrum.2 Bulgari describes their aestheticduring the eighties as: “volume, striking colors, clean shapes, stylized decora-tive motifs and awareness of antiquity.”3 This necklace is a striking exampleof that style. Made in Italy for the American licensee Danaos, it includespearls, citrines, peridots, and pink and green tourmalines.

1 Daniela Mascetti and Amanda Triossi, Bvlgari (New York: Abbeville Press, 1996), 9.2 Amanda Triossi, Bvlgari: Between Eternity and History, from 1884 to 2009 (Milan:Skira, 2009), 217.3 Mascetti and Triossi, op. cit., 96.

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Cartier:The Power of Style

By Pascale Lepeu, et. al., Prague CastleAdministration and Flammarion, January 2011,320 pages, hardcover.

Review by Ettagale Blauer

Cartier: The Power of Style, billed as a catalogue pub-lished to commemorate a 2010 exhibition of works atPrague Castle in the Czech Republic, is a delightful sur-prise. The large format book, comprising hundreds ofphotographs of jewels, many of them new to this review-er, is a masterpiece of scholarship, presented in elegant,readable prose. The main text, by Pascale Lepeu, thecurator of the Cartier Collection, is excellently translatedfrom the French. She takes the reader through Cartier’s160-year history by weaving together the jewels, materi-als, methods and above all, style, within the context of the times in which itwas made and worn, as well as the clientele of the great house.

Cartier’s three branches: Paris, London and New York operated inde-pendently for years until they were reunited in 1976. It was from thistime that Eric Nussbaum, gemologist and jewelry historian, began to pulltogether the modern Cartier Museum collection. The process of authenti-cating each piece before it was accepted into the collection is described infascinating detail. Much detective work was involved in some instanceswhere the original hallmarks were missing. Cartier has diligently soughtout examples of its own history, purchasing works from private collectorsand sometimes bidding for them at public auctions. I have seen one oftheir preeminent jewelry experts spending the firm’s money to buy a par-ticular treasure at a Sotheby’s auction. The price was manytimes that of the original cost but the firm was willingto spend considerably to re-forge each spectacularlink in the company’s bejeweled history.

Because all the jewelry was available to be pho-tographed at the same time, there is a precisionand uniformity rarely found in other books aboutCartier. Setting the pieces starkly against whitebackgrounds allows the work to stand on itsown, in nearly microscopic detail, andallows for both close inspection andcomparison. It follows in the traditionstarted by the house in 1906, whenevery piece that left the workshopwas photographed, life style, and thencarefully documented.

Hair ornament, Cartier, Paris,1903. Platinum, old- and

rose-cut diamonds, millegrainsetting. Sold to Mrs. Lila

Vanderbilt Field (née Sloane,1878–1934). © Cartier, Photo by

Nick Welsh

16 ASJH

Many of the exceptional pieces in the book have rarelybeen seen including a remarkable hair ornament made ofplatinum, old-mine diamonds and rose-cut diamonds in1902. The wavy-line design is as contemporary as todaybut was made for a member of the Vanderbilt family,way back then. The piece was found at a Sotheby’sNew York sale in 1999.

Caption information sets a new standardfor this crucial, but often neglected phase of abook that devotes most of its pages to photo-graphs. The date, materials used, and size ofthe piece in centimeters is often enhanced byintriguing information about the style of theperiod as well as the person for whom it wasmade. For commissioned pieces there is infor-mation about the well-known person of styleor royalty who ordered it. This helps put thework in context in a way rarely encoun-tered in jewelry books and offers a sense ofthe lives being lived during the periodsunder review.Pieces of jewelry are often changed

through the decades, for better or worse,and some of these adaptations are also

detailed. One of the most fascinating examples isthat of an opulent diamond bib ceremonial necklacecommissioned for the Maharajah of Patiala in 1925. Itbegan with the delivery of “trunks full of preciousstones and jewelry,” belonging to the client. Cartiercreated a multi-strand diamond and platinum ArtDeco style necklace with a cascade of seven large dia-monds, ranging from 18 to 73 carats. In the center was a

yellow diamond weighing 234.69 carats. The book shows the neck-lace, which was completed in 1928, worn by the turbaned Maharajahwho sits on an equally regal throne.The glorious necklace was next seen in 1998 when it was found in

London. “All that remained of the original necklace were the five plat-inum and diamond-set Art Deco chains,” writes Mr. Lepeu. All theimportant stones had vanished including the yellow diamond. Cartierhas recreated the necklace using synthetic stones, with the hope of oneday replacing all of them with natural ones. That replica is shown laterin the book offering readers a unique perspective on the firm’s historyand the continuation of its extraordinary craftsmanship.

Each chapter begins with historic images of the periods that givecontext to the life of the times. These grainy photos evoke the architec-ture, dress and the very posture of the people who wore these gloriousjewels. As the periods unfold, the work reflects the changes in dress aswell as the influences on Cartier’s designers. All-diamond pieces giveway to colored gems in the 1920s; stylized Egyptian designs join theOriental motifs after the opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1922. This eventcaptivated society and was a formidable influence on Cartier design. Theremarkable tutti frutti designs of the 1920s are an explosion of color,

Crocodile necklace, Cartier,Paris, special order, 1975Gold, 1,060 emeralds weighing66.86 carats in total, two rubycabochons (eyes), 1,023 bril-liant-cut fancy intense yellowdiamonds weighing 60.02carats in total, two navette-shaped emerald cabochons(eyes). Entirely articulated, thetwo crocodiles can be wornseparately as brooches ortogether as a necklace.Made as a special order forMaría Félix. Length: 30.0 cm(diamond crocodile); Length:27.3 cm (emerald crocodile)© Cartier, Photo by Nick Welsh

Spring 2011 17

carving and flamboyant style. Cartier discovers coral and uses it boldly.There is scarcely a misstep in this excellent book. By and large, time

marches on in an orderly and fascinating way. Art Deco gives way to thejewelry of the late 1930s and 1940s with its use of aquamarines andamethysts. A prime example of the new color combination is a bib neck-lace made in 1947 for the Duke of Windsor who, it states, “supplied allthe stones except the turquoises.” The Duchess of Windsor is seen wear-ing the piece at a ball in 1953.

A charming chapter on the firm’s flora and fauna designs features aquite terrifying double crocodile necklace set with 1,060 emeralds and1.023 fancy intense yellow diamonds. The piece was made for Mexicanactress Maria Felix in 1975. More traditional animal designs focus onthe firm’s iconic panther, including one perched on an enormousKashmir sapphire cabochon weighing 152.35 carats, made in 1949. Itwas another of the jewels owned by the Duchess of Windsor. She is seenwearing it in 1967 with the visibly aged Duke, in full evening dress,walking just slightly behind her.

The last major section of the book is devoted to Cartier’s timepiecesincluding the astonishing Mystery Clocks. There are few adjectives leftto describe these technical and artistic masterpieces. Rarely does onecome up for sale at auction and when it does, I always wish I had aspare quarter-million dollars to bid on it.

Though there are many Cartier books on the market, this one is aworthy addition to any jewelry connoisseur’s library.

LEFT: Desk clock, Cartier, Paris,1926. Gold, silver-gilt, agate(base), onyx (plinth), jade,

mother-of-pearl, coral, rose-cutdiamonds, coral-colored and

black enamel. © Cartier, Photoby Nick Welsh

BELOW: Pair of ear-pendants,Cartier, New York, 1928.

Platinum, gold, round old- andsingle-cut diamonds, carved

jade Buddhas, black enamel. ©Cartier, Photo by Nick Welsh

18 ASJH

ASJH ElectionsSeveral of the ASJH board members’ terms expire onJuly 1, 2011. The following is the list of candidates cho-sen by the nominating committee and approved by theboard who are currently running for a position on theASJH board. The biographies for those running areincluded. Those who are elected will take office begin-ning July 1, 2011. If you would like to run for a positionon the board you must send a petition to the Societysigned by 25 current ASJH members and it must bereceived within 15 days of receipt of this newsletter. Aballot to vote on the final slate will be sent to all ASJHmembers after that 15-day period. The announcementof the new board will be made in the summer issue ofthe ASJH newsletter.

Arna Bleckman: TreasurerSarah Coffin: Vice PresidentMarilyn Cooperman: Member-at-LargePatricia Kiley Faber: PresidentHilary Heard: Member-at-LargeJoseph Levine: Member-at-LargeMark A. Schaffer: Member-at-LargeDiana Singer: Member-at-LargeKimberly Vagner: Secretary

The following ASJH Board membershave one year remaining on their term:Ulysses Grant Dietz: Member-at-LargeNicolas Luchsinger: Member-at-LargeKathleen Moore: Member-at-LargeJane Tiger: Member-at-LargeJoy Toback-Galicki: Member-at-LargeJanet Zapata: Member-at-Large

Camilla Dietz Bergeron, Carol Elkins and ReemaKeswani retain advisory board positions as PastPresident.Jean Appleton, Founding Chairman EmeritusJoyce Jonas, President Emeritus

BiographiesArna Bleckman: TreasurerArna Bleckman has been a member of the Board for sev-eral years serving in various capacities. She currentlyserves as Treasurer of the Society. Arna is an independentcertified antiques appraiser and dealer. She is a graduateof the Traphagen School of Fashion and Baruch School ofBusiness and was a fashion executive for twenty-fiveyears. She also attended the NYU Appraisal StudiesProgram. Her area of interest is the study of jewelry fromthe Victorian Era to Modern in context and relationshipwith costume, textiles, silver, and pottery.

Sarah D. Coffin: Vice PresidentSarah Coffin was appointed curator and head of theProduct Design and Decorative Arts department at theSmithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museumin 2004. She is responsible for proposing and organizingexhibitions, publications and education programs, aswell as overseeing the development of the ProductDesign and Decorative Arts collection, which includesthe museum’s jewelry holdings. She is curator of theexhibition and principal author of the catalogue for Setin Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels (Feb.18–June 5, 2011). She has been curator of five exhibi-tions at the Museum, including as co-curator and authorof: Rococo: The Continuing Curve 1730–2008, for whichshe included jewelry from the 18th century to the pres-ent. Prior to Cooper-Hewitt, Sarah was an independentappraiser and consultant, including to Sotheby’s whereshe had previously been a Vice President. She was direc-tor of Malcolm Franklin gallery, New York, formerly on57th street, focusing on English furniture and decorativearts from the 17th and 18th centuries. She was a consult-ant for numerous museums on their portrait miniaturesholdings, including as author of The Gilbert Museum:Portrait Miniatures in Enamel. She was the specialist inthis field and in gold boxes for Sotheby’s for over 25years, initially including the cataloguing of all antiquejewelry. She continues to lecture and teach about jewel-ry, including the use of various media such as minia-tures, micromosaics, cameos and enamel. Prior to herwork at Sotheby’s, Coffin worked at both the Victoriaand Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum. Shehas an MA in Art History from Columbia University anda BA in Art History from Yale University.

Marilyn Cooperman: Member-at-LargeJewelry designer Marilyn F. Cooperman began her careerin design at the age of twenty. Moving from Toronto toNew Zealand she wrote and illustrated the New ZealandHerald’s first fashion and beauty column. In 1963Marilyn moved to New York to work as a fashion design-er. She met Fred Leighton at his Greenwich Village bou-tique and opened a studio on his premises to design andmanufacture a collection of Mexican inspired resortwear. After owning her own apparel company, her talentattracted the publishing world, and she became the fash-ion director for Seventeen Magazine. She was alsoEditor-in-Chief of Simplicity Patterns and VoguePatterns. In 1987 Fred Leighton asked her to join hisprestigious establishment renowned for its rare andbeautiful jewels. As a designer for Fred Leighton, sheacquired the expertise of deconstructing and re-design-ing outdated pieces. Marilyn’s designs mingled withworld-class jewelers such as Boivin, Cartier, Verdura,Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, and Suzanne

Spring 2011 19

Belperron. Marilyn launched her own company in 1994.Her work is published in five significant jewelry books.Extraordinary Jewels, The Jeweled Menagerie,Understanding Jewelry, Jeweled Garden and TimelessAdornment. In addition, her work has also beenacquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and theMuseum of Arts & Design, New York.

Patricia Kiley Faber: PresidentPatricia Kiley Faber is the co-owner of Aaron FaberGallery founded in 1974. Aaron Faber specializes in 20thand 21st century jewelry and collectible watches. She isan expert in the field of contemporary studio jewelry,most recently featured in National Jeweler, Departuresand Robb Report. She has appeared on Good Day NewYork and FX Network. Patricia is a Graduate Gemologistand member of the Women’s Jewelry Association; theSociety of North American Goldsmiths; the Art JewelryForum, the Fashion Group and American Society ofJewelry Historians. She is a frequent lecturer on collect-ing contemporary jewelry and styling with jewelry forprofessional women. She is a past board member ofYSOP (Youth Service Opportunities Project), a NYC-based non-profit service organization.

Hilary Heard: Member-at-LargeHilary Heard has been working in public relations forover 15 years, representing brands including ManoloBlahnik, Louis Vuitton, Jil Sander and Hermès. When shebegan her current position in the PR department atBulgari in 2005, her newfound passion for jewelry histo-ry took hold (primarily due to the inspiring work ofAmanda Triossi, creator of the brand’s HistoricalArchives Collection, author of three books about Bulgari,and curator of two magnificent Bulgari retrospectiveexhibitions in Rome and in Paris). Hilary has not beenable to look back since, and spends every availablemoment trying to enrich her love and knowledge of finejewelry. She served as founding President of the NationalJewelry Institute’s Young Notables Council (an organiza-tion that aims to promote and encourage the educationand research of fine jewelry history among young adults)and wrote and edited its first six newsletters The NotableWeek. Hilary is a graduate of Miami University in Ohiowith a BA in French and Italian; she recently earned anAccredited Jewelry Professional diploma from the GIA,and aspires to a G.G. diploma in the near future.

Joseph Levine: Member-at-LargeDr. Levine graduated from Columbia University and theUniversity of Rochester. He trained at Yale, theUniversity of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins, where heserved as Co-Director of the Electrophysiology Lab. He isconsidered as expert in his field having published more

than 200 original works. He is recognized yearly asamong the best doctors in NY and America by variousrating organizations. Dr. Levine first became interested injewelry as a buyer about 15 years ago but quickly devel-oped the passion of a collector. Working as an interven-tional cardiologist with tolerances of 1 millimeter, hebecame fascinated by the workmanship of jewelry fromthe Art Deco period. With the guidance of Fred Leightonand auction house experts, he has built a well edited col-lection. Dr. Levine is interested in advancing jewelry asan art form and has enjoyed working with the CooperHewitt Museum and the Cartier Collection.

Mark A. Schaffer: Member-at-LargeMark Schaffer is a director of A La Vieille Russie, found-ed in Kiev in 1851 and specializing in European andAmerican jewelry, objets de vertu, and Russian decora-tive and fine arts, including Fabergé, the majorAmerican collections of which his family helped create.He is a past President of the National Antique and ArtDealers Association of America, and continues on itsBoard. Schaffer has curated major loan exhibitions at ALa Vieille Russie, and has lectured internationally. He isa graduate of Harvard College and UC Berkeley.

Diana Singer: Member-at-LargeDiana Singer is a Graduate Gemologist and is a found-ing member of the Women's Jewelry Association. Sheheads D & E Singer Inc, a twenty year old jewelry firmthat purchases and sells jewelry. She also has had exten-sive experience in retail, and was elected Retailer of theYear by the Women’s Jewelry Association in 1987. Shewrites articles for various jewelry trade journals and is afrequent lecturer on jewelry history and evaluationskills for organizations including Jewelry Camp,Sotheby’s, and various appraisal associations. She hasbeen active on the ASJH board for many years, and iscurrently Chairperson for Programs.

Kimberly Vagner: SecretaryKimberly Vagner received her bachelor’s degree inInternational Affairs from The George WashingtonUniversity in 2002. While in Washington, D.C. she vol-unteered in the mineral sciences department of theSmithsonian Institution National Museum of NaturalHistory. After graduating she moved to San Diegowhere she worked in the museum at the GemologicalInstitute of America for eight years. In 2005, she earnedher graduate gemologist diploma. She is currently work-ing towards an M.A. degree in the History of DecorativeArts from Parsons, The New School for Design at theCooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, SmithsonianInstitution. Prior to moving to New York she was theWest Coast Chapter co-Chair for ASJH.

Copyright © April 2011

This newsletter is only for membersof the American Society of JewelryHistorians. No portion may be repro-duced without written permission ofthe Society.

For membership information contact:American Society of Jewelry Historians1333A North Avenue #103New Rochelle, NY 10804(914) 235-0983 (phone & fax)info@jewelryhistorians.orgwww.jewelryhistorians.org

President: Reema KeswaniNewsletter Editor: Sarah DavisProduction: Meg SeligContributors: Ruth Barnes, EttagaleBlauer, Yvonne Markowitz, Jane Tiger,Kim Vagner

JAS H

Calendar

Exhibitions

Adornment and Identity: Jewellery andCostume from Oman, The British Museum,London, Jan. 21–Sept. 11, 2011

All That Glitters: The Splendor & Science ofGems & Minerals, San Diego NaturalHistory Museum, San Diego, CA, throughMay 15, 2012

Bijoux: The Origins and Impact of Jewelry,Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT, Jul. 16,2011–Feb. 26, 2012

A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New CeramicJewelry,Museum of Arts and Design, NewYork, NY, through Sept. 4, 2011

Georg Dobler: Jewellery from 1980–2010,Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany,Apr. 8–June 26, 2011

Jewelers of the Hudson Valley, ForbesJewelry Gallery, New York, NY, throughJune 25, 2011

Jewels, Gems, and Treasures: Ancient toModern,Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA,July 19–Nov. 1, 2011

Jesse Mongoye: Opal Bears and Lapis Skies,Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ, through June26, 2011

The Legacy of Atelier Janiyé: MiyéMatsukataand Colleagues, Fuller Craft Museum,Brockton, MA, through July 24, 2011

Lisa Gralnick: The Gold Standard, HoustonCenter for Contemporary Craft, TX,through May 29, 2011

Royal Fabergé, The State Rooms, BuckinghamPalace, London, through Sept. 25, 2011

Serpentina: Serpents in Jewellery,Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany,Nov. 26, 2011–Feb. 26, 2012

Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef &Arpels, Cooper-Hewitt, National DesignMuseum, Smithsonian Institution, NewYork, NY, Feb. 18–July 4, 2011

Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry ofMargaret De Patta, Oakland Museum ofCalifornia, Oakland, February 4, 2012 toMay 13, 2012; Museum of Arts and Design,New York, June 12, 2012 to Sept.2012.

Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics andDevotion in Medieval Europe,Walters ArtMuseum, Baltimore,MD, throughMay 15, 2011

Auctions

Bonham’s & Butterfield’sJewellery, Oxford, May 10Jewellery, Knightsbridge, May 11Jewelry & Timepieces, Los Angeles, May 22Fine Jewellery & Jadeite, Hong Kong, IslandShangri-La Hotel, May 26Jewellery, Edinburgh, Jun. 8Jewellery, Oxford, Jun. 14Jewellery, Knightsbridge, Jun. 15Fine Jewelry, New York, Jun. 27Salon Jewelry, California, San Francisco,

Jun. 27Jewellery, Sydney, Byron Kennedy Hall,

Jun. 29Jewellery, Knightsbridge, Jul. 13Unredeemed Pawnbrokers’ Pledges,London, Knightsbridge, Jul. 13Jewellery, Oxford, Jul. 19

Christie’sImportant Watches, Geneva, May 16Magnificent Jewels, Geneva, May 18Bijoux, Paris, May 23Elegance: Jewels, Watches & Handbags,

May 25Jewels, Milan, May 26Important Watches, Hong Kong, May 30Magnificent Jewels, Hong Kong, May 31Important Jewels, London, King Street,

Jun. 8Important Jewels, New York, Jun. 14Important Watches, New York, Jun. 15Jewellery, London, South Kensington,

Jul. 20

Heritage AuctionsSignature Fine Jewelry, New York, May 2

Michaan’s AuctionsEstate Jewelry, May 1Jewelry at the Annex, May 3Estate Jewelry, Jun. 5Jewelry at the Annex, Jun. 7Fine Jewelry, Jun. 11Estate Jewelry, Jul. 3Jewelry at the Annex, Jul. 5

Phillips de Pury & CompanyJewels, New York, May 25Jewels, London, Jun. 7

Sotheby’sMagnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels,

Geneva, May 17The Evill/Frost Collection Part III, London,

Jun. 16Jewels, London, July 13

20 ASJH

Marie Pendariès, The Dowry,from A Bit of Clay on the Skin:New Ceramic Jewelry, Museumof Arts and Design, New York,

NY, through Sept. 4, 2011