Rubel Frères

Sophie Mizrahi-Rubel and Eric Schneider (eds), John Rubel, Paris, 2013, pgs. 88, 89, 92, 128 and 183 for design drawings of stylistically similar sautoirs by Rubel Frères.

Rubel Frères

Founded in Paris in 1915 by the Hungarian-born brothers Jean and Robert Rubel, Rubel Frères established their workshop at 22 rue Vivienne, not far from the Place Vendôme. Within a decade they had built a reputation for exceptional craftsmanship that brought them to the attention of the most prestigious jewellers in Paris, among them Van Cleef & Arpels, Ostertag and other distinguished houses of the Place Vendôme, for whom they produced some of the defining pieces of the Art Deco era, eventually relocating to a larger premises at 16 avenue de l'Opéra. 

In 1939, with war approaching, the brothers moved to New York, where they continued their success before striking out independently in 1943, opening John Rubel & Co. at 777 Fifth Avenue. It was during this American chapter that their celebrated series of dancer and ballerina brooches, conceived with designer Maurice Duvalet, would captivate a new clientele that included Ingrid Bergman and the great American jewellery firms. Their work remains among the most sought-after of the Art Deco period.