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René Boivin Sapphire “Feuille” Brooch
$275,000
In the 1930s, the creative women at the House of René Boivin returned to naturalistic themes—like this blue sapphire "Feuille," or "Leaf," brooch—as many mainstream jewelers were looking elsewhere for inspiration. Madame Jeanne Boivin brought back armfuls of leaves from her long walks in the forest, and encouraged designer Juliette Moutard to introduce them into her designs. Typical of Moutard's eye for color, the sapphires subtly shift in hue and tone, ranging from pale violet and indigo to cornflower blue. She selected and positioned them to reflect the variegations of a natural creation. This enticing, finely-articulated soft blue sapphire leaf drapes softly from a structure of gold veins, easy to wear on a gown or jacket.
- Product Details
- Curator's Notes
Item #: BO-19373
Artist: René Boivin, Paris
Country: France
Circa: 1934
Size: 2.5” length, 2.5” width
Materials: 63 Oval-, cushion-, and circular-cut sapphires (approximate total weight 124.00 carats); 18K Gold
Documentation: With certificate of authenticity from expert and archivist Madame Françoise Cailles (dated May 2, 2017), stating that the brooch is the work of the House of René Boivin, designed by Juliette Moutard
Literature: Another example of the "Feuille" brooch pictured in Women Jewellery Designers, by Juliet Weir-de La Rochefoucauld, Acc Art Books, 2022, p. 54
Designer Juliette Moutard worked at René Boivin for forty years in a creative ensemble with Madame and Germaine Boivin, content to remain in the background to give free rein to her original and vibrant imagination, while drafting design ideas for all three.