F.W. Lawrence | Moonstone and Diamond Brooch

For a brooch of similar design by F.W. Lawrence, please see Sotheby's New York, April 23, 2009, lot 269.

F. Walter Lawrence

Circa 1901-1913

Lots 178-180

F. Walter Lawrence (1864-1929) was an important American jewelry designer who created hand-crafted jewelry, silverware and bronzes with a similar aesthetic to that of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Nature was a source of inspiration for him, and moonstones with their billowy blue luster were used by Lawrence to great effect. In the brooch offered here he has chosen an oval-shaped moonstone intaglio carved with the bust of the Aurora, mythological goddess of the dawn, surrounded by a meandering motif of morning glories, pavé-set with diamonds, all mounted in gleaming white platinum.

Lawrence exhibited his precious jewels in many Arts & Crafts exhibitions, including the 1904 Louisiana Purchase exhibition in Saint Louis where he displayed 27 jewels. In an article by jewelry historian and museum consultant Janet Zapata, entitled The Jewelry and Silver of F. Walter Lawrence, published by The Magazine Antiques (April 2004), Zapata refers to the entry from “Information for Record/Applied Arts Division Department of Art / St. Louis World’s Fair” (archives of the Saint Louis Museum) which describes the items on view, including “…four brooches…one with Aurora.” In this same article (p. 130), Zapata included an image of the moonstone intaglio brooch of Aurora from a catalogue published by the firm in the early 1920s; Unusual jewelry, Silverware and Bronzes, F. Walter Lawrence Inc. Although the brooch is unsigned, it is clearly the work of Lawrence, especially when compared with other pieces bearing the mark of the firm, for example, a moonstone and diamond brooch of Cupid and Psyche sold by Sotheby’s New York in April 2009, Lot 269.

The gold necklace signed F.W. Lawrence, formed with four rows of gold chains linked by vertical plaques set with irregularly shaped table-cut diamonds is very much in keeping with the taste for jewels worn high on the neck at the turn of the century. However, the simple construction of gold chains combined with less than perfect diamonds is an expression of the craftsman aesthetic, a style which had become widely popular in England at this time. The diversity of F. Walter Lawrence’s jewelry designs is evident when contrasted with the delicate diamond and pearl lavalier necklace offered here. Lawrence masterfully adapted his jewelry to suit various types of clientele, both those preferring classical styles and those who might be seeking creations that were slightly more avant garde. Today, examples of his work are found in private collections, and they are testaments to the enduring legacy of this notable American jewelry firm.