S.J. Phillips presents extraordinary rubies and diamonds necklace at TEFAF Maastricht
March 2018 – Leading antique jewellery dealer, S.J. Phillips is presenting a magnificent and historically important Art Deco necklace set throughout with exquisite Burmese rubies and diamonds, at the world’s premier art and antiques fair TEFAF Maastricht, which opened to the public on March 10, 2018.
The necklace, of Indian inspiration was designed and made by the French jewellery maison Mauboussin in Paris in 1930.
Composed of polished ruby cabochons, accented and embellished with square, circular and baguette-cut diamonds, the necklace also suspends a fringe of graduated ruby beads and diamonds, all mounted in platinum.
Giving additional flexibility, the necklace also converts to a shorter necklace and bracelet.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Mauboussin enjoyed the reputation of being a “leader of fashion” and between 1928 and 1931 hosted three important exhibitions in their showrooms on the Rue de Choiseul, each one dedicated to a specific precious stone. The first focused on the emerald, the second the ruby and the third the diamond.
The necklace, along with the other impressive exhibits, were considered a real tour de force for the maison and not only attracted the high society of France but also the likes of the Prince of Wales, the Maharajah of Kapurthala, the Maharajah of Indore, as well as contemporary celebrities. The exhibitions also travelled internationally.
Everyone who saw them was impressed by the exemplary craftsmanship, the Asia inspired aesthetics and the innovative, modern geometric designs.
The precious stones were often presented in novel forms such as unfaceted or polished en cabochon, carved as flowers and leaves or simply as beads, which complemented the fire and warmth of the world’s finest rubies.
The clasp of the necklace is signed ‘MAUBOUSSIN PARIS’ and it is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Mauboussin.
Featured in the second great Mauboussin exhibition, the necklace is the perfect example of the exhibition’s concept: a love letter to the Burmese ruby.
Asking price in the region of US$5.5 million.
TEFAF Maastricht runs until March 18, 2018.
