Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

French Antique Jewelry Designs

Jewelry designs

 

Finding old art at the brocante is always a treat. But finding someones art portfolio is another thing all together. The other day at the brocante I found just that: A nineteen century, French jewelry design portfolio!

Above are two drawings one is a bracelt design, and the other a pendant.

 

Jewelry desing french antiques

 

The ring has a bee and its main body would be a precious stone. The other is a beetle of some sort holding a diamond. Interesting.

What type of jewelry do you like best? I like pearls.

 

Bracelt design French

 

The bracelt is intricate, delicate and if made would cost the price of a small used car, or a couple bottles of Chateau Margaux 2009. What would you prefer:

The bracelt

A small used car

A couple bottles of Chateau Margaux

or

The ability to design and draw like the above artist?

 

Brocante jewelry designs

 

This one appears to be a sword with a drap of fabric over it.

I am not so fond of this one. Though I admire the workmanship.

I prefere necklaces, long ones at that.

 

Antique pendant designs

 

Pendants French antique jewelry designs

 

A cameo, and a couple of drop pendant.

 

 

Antique jewelry designs brocante

 

 

I wonder if the designer ever saw any of her designs become pieces of jewelry? If so how what stones were used, and how much they cost to produce. I wonder if any of these pieces are around, and if someone is wearing any of the today?

 

Comments

34 responses to “French Antique Jewelry Designs”

  1. Veronique Savoye

    Bonjour from Seattle, Corey. To answer your question, i would love to have the artist’s ability to create and draw– but, if this weren’t an option, then, definitely, le bracelet. Superbe. Thank you for sharing your great find with us! Veronique aka French Girl in Seattle

    Reply
  2. Marilyn

    Wouldn’t it be fun to learn more of this artist? I would love to be able to draw like the artist here.

    Reply
  3. Laura

    OOoh, such fabulous designs! What lovely jewelry this was? would be? I would love to have discovered the portfolio. I, too, would rather possess the artist’s talent than the car or wine.

    Reply
  4. Rhonda P.

    I would love the old car to drive to the brocante to buy the bracelet…how’s that? I cannot draw to save my soul, what a precious find.

    Reply
  5. georgie

    Actually a relative did draw and design things like this. I was always amazed to see him create and draw jewelry. Of course I’d love to have the jewelry rather than a car or champagne.

    Reply
  6. Kathie B

    While I’m not an aficionado of jewelry, wine or automobiles, I DO enjoy designs, so thank you for posting these, Corey!
    As there are numerous artisans in many different media who follow this blog, may I make a suggestion for those who (like me) have been negligent in recording their work? Please take a minute when you complete a project to snap a photo of it for your archives. I now regret not having done so over the decades with my knitting and sewing, and am not in contact with some of the people to whom I gave or sold pieces, so for me they’re gone forever.
    Before Corey posted extracts from this art portfolio today, I’d begun thinking about archiving — especially my unpublished translations, some of which are still in 1st or 2nd draft form so require further polishing, perhaps by another translator — so that they won’t die with me (that’s what applying for one’s old age pension this week will do to a brain!).
    At this juncture, my unpublished work is all on my computer hard-drive, and backed-up on another hard-disk as well as (some of it) on flash drives. However, the writings are scattered among so many different folders that it will take a while just to locate them all, let alone: a) print them out; and, b) put them all into some semblance of logical order.

    Reply
  7. kim

    I have always loved jewelry and I have been making a bit myself — but nothing like that! So far I’ve been able to cut out a dragonfly from silver sheet. How’s that? And hearts. I can draw and cut out hearts. Oh to be able to design like that!!! Truthfully, I like very simple designs, though. Straight lines. Beautiful stones. To answer your question… I think I would like the ability to draw and design… like the artist. What a gift.

    Reply
  8. Jeannie

    I would take the old auto to tour the French countryside seeking out treasures. The sketchbook is fantastic. Perhaps she was documenting her jewelry from her lovers in case of a burglary.

    Reply
  9. Paulita

    I love those jewelry designs. I think I like the second picture of the necklace. It seems so delicate. I wish you’d found the actual jewelry and bought for a song then sold it in your brocante store.

    Reply
  10. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    I have to say I love them all. Diamonds and Rubies are my favorite stones. I would take the jewelry over a car, or bottle of expensive wine.

    Reply
  11. Helen

    What an exciting and fascinating find! Such treasures. I am drawn to the bee ring, that is JUST me! Love them all though.

    Reply
  12. Delphine

    What beautiful designs. I would take the jewellery. I love coloured stones and am amazed at how they are created and turned into beautiful things. My favourite is amethyst and one day when I accidently run into a fortune I am going to buy a rock for my finger, after everything else on the list.

    Reply
  13. bramble

    What a beautiful find! I will have to take the small used car because mine is 17 years old and I CAN draw!
    Some of those pieces are GORGEOUS!!! I like a necklace that sits right above the um…decollatge: so a few of those would be perfect! You always find such nifty stuff!!!

    Reply
  14. Diana Wilson (DD)

    The drawings actually look 3 dimensional even from here in Montana. What a find, I would just like to have the drawings.

    Reply
  15. Joan Thodas

    Exquisite

    Reply
  16. Gail Gallagher

    The bee ring looks faintly familiar cold you have found a famous designers portfolio from…. say, Cartier? soothing very precious….

    Reply
  17. Gail Gallagher

    Hmmm looks more Van Cleef & Arpels than Cartier…. Beautiful drawings. Any artist signature?

    Reply
  18. Franca Bollo

    Um … you selling these?

    Reply
  19. Jan

    Oh my heart…I would rather have the artwork than the actual jewelry. Beautiful!
    Jan

    Reply
  20. barbara sydney australia

    Oh Corey what an amazing find, the designs are exquisite. Never ceases to fascinate me that people discard such treasures. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  21. Marie-Noëlle

    I love sapphires and beryls …
    Your find is very intriguing and I would like to know more about it … and to find who was the designer, of course !

    Reply
  22. Emma {Vintage Magpie}

    what a divine find! It is always such a thrill to find something like this. I would happily have the ring and the necklaces, such beautiful workmanship…i have never seen anything like it!
    Congrats! x

    Reply
  23. Jude Jackson

    Being a crow from another life, I like all shiny things..be it glass or diamonds. I knew I was hooked when I was very small. A woman whose lap I was sitting in took off her prism earring and held in front of a sun ray coming in the window and the room was immediately bathed in rainbow light. Magic!

    Reply
  24. Amy Kortuem

    THAT BEE RING! I want it sooooo bad. Can’t you see it with a beautiful citrine stone in the middle? Or all in silver? Yes.
    Though I do love pearls, too, Corey. And I’ve taken to wearing large rings on my index fingers lately. The bee ring would create such a buzz!

    Reply
  25. Kiki

    I’m (bizarrely) not very much into jewellery and as very much I love a good bottle of red wine I couldn’t ever be tempted to part with so much money – I have a small, very used car – and I am a rather not too terrible designer thanks to some minor talent our God offered me – so no temptation….
    But I am intrigued by the wonderful details of those brooches…. THIS truly is GREAT art!

    Reply
  26. everton terrace

    I sell vintage and antique jewelry and these are the things I always think about. When I find special pieces I think about the person who created it in their mind, the hands that fashioned it and the woman who wore it. I like it that way.

    Reply
  27. Kit

    They are so beautifully drawn they look real! I wouldn’t wear any intricate jewellery like this, beautiful as it is, and would much prefer to be able to draw this well. Though a small used car would also come in handy right now!

    Reply
  28. Sara

    So beautiful! Vintage designs please me so much more than modern ones. I love pearls, too. My birthstone. I also like my kids’ birthstones, and white gold.

    Reply
  29. Helene

    As asked Franca Bollo, are any of these pages for sale? I am a student jeweler and it is wonderful to look back in history to the work of others.

    Reply
  30. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi H and FB
    Yes, I have sold most of them. I kept a few.
    C

    Reply
  31. gloria p

    Those designs are stunning. I hope some of them were actually used. I’d wear the bracelet and pendants in a heartbeat.

    Reply
  32. Danna

    Gorgeous!
    two questions:
    did you buy any of them?
    and
    are they gonna be available on your brocante site????

    Reply
  33. Robyn Hawk

    STUNNING art work – to answer your gem for the bee question? amber either clear golden or butterscotch!

    Reply
  34. revesdargile

    oH Corey, I fall in love oh this pictures !!
    wonderfull !!!!!!!!!!
    kisses
    mo

    Reply

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