Property from an Important European Collection
Lacloche Frères
Superb and Rare Ruby and Diamond 'Cravate' Necklace
Live auction begins on:
May 12, 12:00 PM GMT
Estimate
160,000 - 280,000 CHF
Bid
120,000 CHF
Lot Details
Description
The front featuring an elongated, highly articulated tassel, set with drop-shaped rubies within a geometric surround pavé-set with with circular- and single-cut diamonds, accented by marquise-shaped and baguette diamonds, length approximately 360mm, adjustable to 340mm, detachable to be worn as a pair of bracelets with an additional clasp fitting, each length approximately 170mm, signed Lacloche Frères, maker’s marks for Rubel Frères, French assay marks for platinum; circa 1928
Laurence Mouillefarine, Véronique Ristelhueber, Lacloche Joailliers, Paris, 2019, p. 188 and 200 for publicity images for Lacloche Frères featuring necklaces of similar design.
Cravate Necklaces
The late 1920s to the early 1930s, saw a short-lived flowering of highly distinct and articulated 'cravate' or 'tie' necklaces. These elaborate jewels terminated in a long pendant or tassel that could be worn at the front of a dress, or draped asymmetrically over one shoulder. The style lent itself perfectly low-cut dresses, a sumptuous jewel for a sartorial choice that would have been scandalous in the not-so-distant past. Glamorous, sleek and slinky gowns of satin cut on the bias featured prominently in the evening fashions of the early 1930s, as exemplified by the designer Madeleine Vionnet. The finely articulated, fabric-like quality of the tie-necklace complements this aesthetic to perfection and encapsulates all the style, beauty and allure of the era.
Several maisons on Place Vendôme made variations on the style including Lacloche Frères, Van Cleef & Arpels and Mauboussin. The tie-necklace is a prime example of Lacloche Frères’ creative forces. During the 1920s, Parisian jewelers had created a variety of long, articulated, richly adorned shoulder brooches; the tie-necklace may be viewed, in part, as an evolution of this form. Furthermore, tie-necklaces provided ample frameworks in which to showcase the highly geometricized links and variously shaped diamonds that characterise the art deco style. Similar necklaces set throughout with diamonds or accented by emerald drops featured prominently in Lacloche Frères’ publicity illustrations of the period.
By the mid-1930s, the taste for long necklaces had given way to shorter bib styles and collars and thus the tie-necklaces seem to have been discontinued by 1935. The lavish nature of tie-necklaces was such that only a handful of examples were ever produced. As virtuosic showpieces displaying the jeweler’s art at its best, they were captured on the pages of Vogue and worn by movie stars such as Mary Pickford. It is exceedingly rare to find an intact tie-necklace and the example offered here is only the second one of its kind to come to auction in the recent times.