Art as Jewelry as Art
Art as Jewelry as Art
Jean Vendome
A Set of Écho-style Diamond, Rutilated Quartz, and 18k Gold Necklace and Earrings
Lot Closed
October 6, 06:26 PM GMT
Estimate
35,000 - 45,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Jean Vendome
1930 - 2017
A Set of Écho-style Diamond, Rutilated Quartz, and 18k Gold Necklace and Earrings
circa 1980, hallmark of master (LO) on each earring necklace and earrings of rutilated quartz shards set asymmetrically in gold with sprays of baguette-cut diamonds arranged atop (39 total) and one additional square diamond set at center; three quartz shards are set
as the pendant to the necklace and each earring is set with two shards as well as three bars of diamonds (five diamonds in a set of one, two, and two on each); omega-style posts at back
Earrings: 1 by 1¼ in.; 2.5 by 3.1 cm.
Pendant: 2⅞ by 2 in.; 7 by 5.3 cm.
Inner circumference: 16 1⁄16 in.; 40.8 cm.
Diameter: 4½ to 5 1/8 in; 11.4 to 13 cm.
Private Collection, Europe
Marlène Crégut-Ledué, Jean Vendome: les voyages précieux d’un créateur, Faton, Paris 2008, pp. 108, 111
Jean Vendome, known for his masterful and refined use of stones, uses rutilated quartz to brilliant effect in this parure. First seen in his 1970 Vitrail series, the starburst effects of the rutile ingrained within the clear quartz mimics the gold of the settings and takes it to new heights. Vendome places the shards of stone at odds to one another and in an asymmetrical fashion that unexpectedly creates a pleasing whole, a tenet central to his oeuvre. His addition of a spray
of small diamonds works as an accent atop the cluster of shards. This set is similar to his 1970 brooch design Écho, part of the Vitrail collection in which he desired to play with light and transparency and highlight the inclusions in the unique gems that he chose (Marlène Crégut-Ledué, Jean Vendome: les voyages précieux d’un créateur, Faton, Paris, 2008, pp. 108, 111).