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Jewellery and precious stones

Set in rings, earrings, bracelets, neck laces, brooches or pins, all the sparkle of these gems is revealed in jewellery and precious stones auctions.
"tiffany’s! Cartier ! Harry winston ! … diamonds are a girl’s best friend," sang marilyn monroe.
And so are emerald, saphirs and rubies. While diamonds are forever, pearl necklaces and strings are also available today in these online sales of jewellery and precious stones, particularly fine pearls, now increasingly rare.
These nacreous balls with their creamy, pinkish iridescence rival with fine stones: purple amethysts, lagoon-blue aquamarines, blood-red garnets, azure tinted moonstones and shimmering opals.
But on drouot, jewellery auctions do not only aim to delight the ladies. Style and finery also come in masculine form, particularly as elegant cufflinks. These male jewellery items transform them (equality dictates!) Into trophy men…

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National award saber from the Manufacture de Versailles, beautiful, sober hussar pattern: Single-branch hilt in gilt brass, adorned in the middle with an oval medallion bearing the signature: "Manufe A VERSAILLES", shuttle-shaped mounts decorated with a quarter-circle fillet around the perimeter, quillon chased with foliage, nicely cut German-style cap, leather-covered, filigree spindle; strong curved blade, engraved and gilded one-third with motifs in the style of those by Cassaignard; wooden scabbard with two large gilded brass fittings, ending in a gadrooned ring, and two splints, leather-covered crevices, two ring-holder studs fixed to the back of the fittings, the chape bears the inscription: "Le Mtre de La Guerre AU C. FALCONETTI LIEUT", iron stinger. This saber has seen a lot of use, as can be seen by the number of blows on the edge of the blade and the dents at the end of the scabbard; length 106 cm. Late Directoire, early Consulate period. Good condition. This saber is listed in Captain BOTTET's book on : La Manufacture de Versailles, Boutet directeur-artiste, J. LEROY Fils éditeur, 1903. "PIÈCE ANNEXE N° 1" (page 62). "ÉTAT DES ARMES DE LUXE DE LA MANUFACTURE DE VERSAILLES LE 29 NIVÔSE AN XII, FAISANT SUITE À CELUI DU 29 VENTÔSE AN IX, QUI FINIT PAR LE N° 149 (F. V. M. A.). Given by the Minister of War: N° 167, a copper saber to citizen Falconetti. Estimated at 90 fr." On one of the plates in the same work, number XXI shows a saber very similar to ours; the text of this plate is on page 55 and reads: "N° XXI. Sabre de récompense nationale décerné au citoyen FLEURIOT par le Directoire exécutif. Gilt bronze mount and fittings; basane-covered spindle. Klingenthal blade. This model is the 90-franc model noted for national awards". (See appendix, condition no. 1). In the Livre d'or de la gendarmerie 1791/1812, in the year 1794, we quote: "À l'attaque des Anglais en Corse du 5 février au 5 mars" is named: "M. FALCONETI (FALCONETTI), lieutenant à la 28e division". After the siege of Toulon, a large number of English ships and frigates surround Corsica. On 17 pluviôse (February 5), two ships and a frigate came within sight of the small port of Centuri, where the people's representative had sent Lieutenant FALCONETI with 21 gendarmes. The English claimed a Genoese ship that had taken refuge in the port. FALCONETI replied: "That there was no Genoese boat in the port, that the one they were asking for was in Saint-Florent, and that it was there, in Calvi or Bastia, that the threatening demands should be made; that, as for him, he had few people, but that if they wanted to send him two boats full of Englishmen, he would show them the way". The English then began to machine-gun the gendarmes and landed two hundred men. Aided by the two PIETRI AGOTINI brothers and the mayor of Centuri, FALCONETI and his gendarmes attacked the English with such impetuosity that they fled, leaving him with one dead and several wounded.

Estim. 15,000 - 18,000 EUR

Mascotte Victoire, par René Lalique, Circa 1928 - Radiator cap in satin-finish and glossy pressed white glass, signed R. LALIQUE France in relief in the mass. Mounted with a ring on a black marble base. Dimensions: Height: 15 cm; Diameter: 6.6 cm; Overall length: 25.5 cm Used condition. Exceptional mascot that became a symbol of the Art Deco period. Called Victoire or Spirit of the Wind, probably created as a tribute to the Allied Victory of 1918. René LALIQUE (1860-1945): Trained as a jeweler and glassmaker, René Lalique linked his talent with the world of automobiles for the first time in 1906 with the design and creation of the trophy for participants in the Targa Vincenzo Florio. The eponymous race, named after its founder, rewarded its winners with a Targa - meaning plate in Italian - engraved by René Lalique, showing a racing car against a Sicilian landscape. Encouraged by this initial success, as well as by the development of the automobile and its accessories through mascots, René Lalique also contributed to the fashion of the 1920s and 1930s. Lalique and radiator caps (1925 -1937): From 1925 onwards, René Lalique created no fewer than 30 models of these mascots. Glass and its transparency provide René Lalique's workshops with an internal light source. This was the height of luxury that Lalique had just created with its luminous radiator caps. These mascots become veritable sculptures of light, illuminated from within by a dynamo powering a 6V lighting system. The patent applied for on January 22, 1929 was for a "luminous radiator cap for motor cars". Created in 1928, Victoire remains one of the most magnificent mascots ever, representing an allegory of peace. Designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Armistice of November 11, 1918, this moving female face comes to life at the heart of the material, a glass both satin-finished and shiny. The hair, reminiscent of a streamlined Indian headdress, and the half-open mouth, revealing a shrill cry, create a unique effect of speed and power. In this way, automobile mascots represent a specific period in automotive history, reflecting both artistic craftsmanship and the evolution of automobile design over the decades. Victoire de Lalique is the finest representation of this, not only in its material, signature and design, but also in its posterity, as much a symbol of Art Deco as of Automobile passion. Lalique patents : - N° 472.382, issued August 4, 1914, process for decorating glass or transparent materials with patterns illuminated by means of concealed or concealed luminous foci. Bibliography: Félix Marcilhac, "René Lalique, catalog raisonné de l'œuvre de verre", Les Éditions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2011, Section Bouchons de radiateur, model referenced under no. 1147 reproduced on p. 502. Michel Legrand, "Mascottes Automobiles", Edition E.P.A, Paris, 1993, model number 251 reproduced on p. 91.

Estim. 6,000 - 8,000 EUR

Rare Victorian English snake necklace in 14K (585/1000) yellow gold, consisting of a flexible mesh ending in a snake's head adorned with garnets, holding in its mouth a heart pendant also adorned with a garnet, the reverse side revealing a compartment probably containing hair (accident to the glass). St. Jacques shell hallmark Length: Gross weight: 13.6g The snake, an ancient symbol charged with multiple meanings, has found its place in the world of jewelry for centuries. Among its incarnations is the Victorian snake necklace. In the Victorian period, the snake was adopted as a symbol of rebirth and eternity, often depicted as an orobouros, a snake biting its own tail. This motif, emblematic of infinite cycles and perpetual regeneration, was very much in vogue in England in the 1840s. Queen Victoria wore a snake bracelet to her first council meeting in 1837 and received a snake and emerald engagement ring from Prince Albert. These pieces were not only luxurious fashion accessories, but also talismans charged with spiritual and philosophical significance. The two Victorian snakes we are offering for sale are adorned with a medallion, placed in the snake's mouth, and containing locks of hair. This sentimental jewelry was a symbol of affection and remembrance, often given as a gift to a loved one. Hair, being a personal and intimate element, adds an extra dimension of emotional connection to these pieces. Even today, Victorian snake necklaces continue to fascinate, evoking the refinement of bygone eras and carrying with them the memory of beliefs and values that have endured through the ages. As such, they remain choice pieces for those seeking to combine aesthetic beauty, deep symbolism and sentiment in their adornments. It is quite rare to find these pieces at auction in France, their preferred territory being England. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a necklace with a similar shape to ours, dating from the same period. (M.58-1951)

Estim. 2,000 - 3,000 EUR