A s part of Luxury Week, Sotheby's is launching a new theme sale, ‘Life is Beautiful’, reflecting the French savoir-faire in Jewelry, Watches, Fashion, and Design. Bold creativity and craftsmanship will be highlighted by a selection of pieces illustrating the excellence of luxury goods and the French “Art de Vivre”.
The French jewelry tradition is today perpetuated with work of a more personal nature from highly talented designers. Included in the sale are pieces by the brand Opold, created by Léopold Guerrier. Guerrier takes an architectural approach with his jewelry, bringing life to three-dimensional pieces that enhance the silhouette of those who wear them. Jewelry from the house of Lamouche, created about ten years ago by Vincent Guy Raffin, refers to the secret codifications of the eighteenth-century aristocracy.
A system of codes that allowed for the exchange of confidences, just as the “mouche”, a small round piece of black taffeta, velvet, or a pencil point, done in imitation of a mole, was used by women as adornment on the face or neckline. Each piece of jewelry has its own poem, inspired by French poets such as Maupassant, Rimbaud, or Baudelaire, which is left for the buyer of the jewelry to discover. Each Opold and Lamouche piece is unique, made by Parisian master jewelers who excel in their field.
The deep fiery red, soft pink, and vibrant orange hues of coral are unmistakable. One of the few organic gemstones, precious coral has been used widely by European ‘haute joaillerie’ houses for over a century. Although matte in its natural state, coral has been polished, engraved, sculpted, rounded, fluted and smoothed. Achingly chic, coral can comfortably take the main stage in a piece of fine jewellery or be simply used to introduce colour as an accent or a highlight.
