Vintage Retro brooch. 18k yellow gold and aquamarine. Made by Yvonne Arnould, who worked for the house of Rene Boivin in Paris, France, mid 1900's. Unisex - can be worn by a man or a woman.
Measurements:
Weight is 16.6 grams. Approximately 1 3/4 inches (43mm) across.
Description :
Like a golden sun with radiating petals, the naturalistically modelled flower-form brooch. The undulating curves with many petals radiating from a central colette set aquamarine. Subtly asymmetrical. Remarkably, the petals of the flower are exquisitely textured in a very fine engraved pattern to both front and back. The details of this wonderful work can best be seen when looking under a magnifying glass and show the tremendous attention to detail and lavish care not spared by the maker. As a result, the appearance of the gold is particularly rich and as every angle catches the light differently, it ranges in color and tone from bright to shadowed. All of these wonderful petals surround a colette set faceted aquamarine of a lovely bright light blue. The contrast between the colors and texture of the aquamarine and the gold adds a great deal of interest to this brooch. Clearly a luxury piece, made in Paris. See THE STORY below.
Trombone clasp.
Marks and Metal:
Eagle head on mount of pin. Maker's mark lozenge and another mark on pin. Maker's mark not clearly legible. Hidden amongst the texture of petals on the back is engraved number 7088.
Condition:
Good with negligible wear commensurate with age. Please see enlarged pictures and don't hesitate to ask questions which we will do our best to answer.
THE STORY:
We originally bought this brooch because it was so beautiful. At the time, we did not know who the maker was. The design and quality of workmanship were unmistakable and spoke to us so we bought it for those reasons. Subsequently, we found the identical brooch, albeit set with a topaz, sold in Paris and we learned from the seller that the maker was Yvonne Arnould, who had worked for the house of René Boivin.
