René Lalique for Maison Vever (Paul Vever and Henri Vever) diamond corsage ornament, cherry blossom brooch, 1885-1890.
Designed as an articulated floral branch, set with cushion-shaped, circular- and rose-cut diamonds, the flower heads set en tremblant, mounted in silver, yellow and pink gold, signed Vever, French assay and maker’s mark, can be detached into three smaller brooches, accompanied by two detachable diamond set caps. Length approximately 290mm.
Sotheby’s
This piece, intended to be worn descending from one shoulder, begins with a broken off bit of “branch” and ends with a tiny pair of leaves. Despite the bling, it conveys a delicate naturalism, with each cherry blossom seemingly thin as paper and trembling with every movement (an effect created by invisible springs). New research undertaken by Wartski’s Katherine Purcell, the exhibition curator and author of its excellent catalogue, reveals that the brooch, long thought to be by Vever, is in fact by Renée Lalique, adding to its rarity. Lalique made few diamond-encrusted pieces and none other on this scale.
The Economist
