Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
Jean Vendome
‘Archipelago’ Necklace
Lot Closed
October 6, 06:25 PM GMT
Estimate
25,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Jean Vendome
1930 - 2017
‘Archipelago’ Necklace
2006, unique, maker’s mark stamped on neck near closure
necklace consisting of amethyst slices of varying shapes embedded in an 18k gold setting and joined by gold links featuring seven bars, each with five baguette-cut diamonds set in white gold
Inner circumference approximately: 14⅜ in.; 36.5 cm.
Largest amethyst: 1⅝ by 2 in.; 4.6 by 4.7 cm.
Diamond bars approximately ½ by 3⁄16 in.; 1.5 by .5 cm.
Christie’s Online: Jewels and Handbags Online: The London Edit, June 23, 2021, [lot 00403]
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Marlène Crégut-Ledué, Jean Vendome: les voyages précieux d’un créateur, Faton, Paris 2008, p. 245
Sandrine Merle, 'Jean Vendome, a pioneer of contemporary jewelry,' the french jewelry post, 31 August 2017
Paris and Lyon, Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, Vendôme, un demi-siècle de bijoux contemporains, 1998 – 1999
Paris, L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts, Jean Vendome, Artist Jeweler, 2021
Jean Vendome, the pioneer of modern French jewelry, combined his passion for Surrealism, mineralogy, and graphic design. His avant-garde and Modernist vision evolved over time; the unique ‘Archipelago’ Necklace offered here demonstrates his passion for the contrast between straight and jagged, smooth and rough, and showcases the stunning beauty of the natural stone. The cuts are thin enough that light escapes from the reverse and the slim gold edging makes the pieces appear as though they are floating – and then Vendome reminds us that they are anchored with invisibly-set bars of diamonds stringing one stone to the next.