TEFAF Maastricht's High Jewelry Preview

The Verdura and Belperron exhibition space at the 2016 TEFAF Maastricht 

Prior to my first trip to Maastricht last year to attend The European Fine Art Fair (more commonly known as TEFAF) I wrote this: “Everyone who’s been there (Maastricht) tells me it’s really nice.” 

None other than Camille Oostwegel Jr., director of Business Development of the Oostwegel Collection, a group of luxury hotels and restaurants in Maastricht area, read this. In fact, while giving the group of journalists I was with a tour of his properties, the impeccably dressed and polished hospitality professional made it a point to memorize our names ahead of time, read our work and present each of us with a personalized hand-written letter based on what he read. For my note he made a point to say that he hoped I would agree that Maastricht is really nice. 

Dinner at Chateau Neercanne during TEFAF Maastricht 2016

Yes Camille, the picturesque medieval town surrounded by waterways and rolling hills is very nice, much nicer than I expected and I had high expectations. It’s made for strolling, which I did every chance I had, and it has more cultural activities than a town of its size should be allowed to have. 

Your properties and restaurants we toured are exceptional as well. You don’t know this, Camille, but I was in Amsterdam when the crown jewel of your restaurants, Chateau Neercanne, celebrated 60 years of Michelin Star excellence. I saw you accept the special recognition from the Michelin Star organization. I still remember the wonderful meal we had within the colorfully lit interiors of the 17th Century castle and seeing the signatures of those who signed the Maastricht Treaty (the document that created the European Union) embedded into the old castle walls. 

The signatures of the Maastricht Treaty document inside Chateau Neercanne

But I digress. 

This is supposed to be a preview of the upcoming high jewels at TEFAF Masstrict. The world renowned art, antiques and design fair will be held March 10 – 19. Among the 275 dealers and designers from 20 countries there will be contemporary high jewelry artists, a couple of internationally known high jewelry and watch brands and dealers of antique and period jewels. Among the best are the following: 

Birth and Blossom Earrings by Wallace Chan

Wallace Chan is a favorite of JNN. Not just because he endorsed this publication but because he is among the most creative and technically sound jewelry artists in the world. And, he too is an extremely hospitable and open person. His pieces are reported to sell for upwards of tens of millions of dollars (he never talks price) and for good reason. One way he separates himself from his peers is that he does nearly everything himself. He’s a master gem carver and one of the early adapters to using titanium for jewels. He often develops his own techniques and builds his own tools to make his creations. 

Among his new pieces for the show are the “Birth and Blossom Earrings.” Chan hollowed out two pearls and set inside them diamonds and sapphires in a colorful spiral arrangement. Titanium stems reach out and sprawl downwards, depicting the growth of a magical blossom with pieces of conch shell turned into petals, echoing the pearls’ smooth texture. The pistils are surrounded by diamond sparkles. Dangling underneath the flowers are two pieces of green emeralds, totaling more than 30 carats. It is both an accurate depiction of nature and an imaginative artistic creation. Meaning it’s typically Wallace Chan.

Hemmerle bangle

Hemmerle, known for using traditional and unorthodox materials to create artistic bespoke pieces, has new set of wearable art for TEFAF including a bangle crafted out of sapphires, aquamarines and aluminum presents that are inspired by the ornamentation seen on the capitals of columns of the 2,000-year-old temple of Karnak in ancient Egypt.

Otto Jakob Xuanas

The self-taught German jewelry artist, Otto Jakob, creates art in miniature inspired by Etruscan, Celtic and Hellenic masterpieces. Among the items he will be displaying is his 2016 creation, Xuanas, which consists of yellow gold casts of St. John’s Wort petals, the ovaries made of white gold, set with micro pavé diamonds and surrounded by stamens and pollen grains covered with dark red enamel.

The Verdura Medusa ring

Ward and Nico Landrigan, the father and son team that owns the historic brands, Verdura and Belperron, will be exhibiting antique pieces and those recreated from the original drawings of the famed mid-20th Century jewelry artists, Duke Fulco di Verdura and Suzanne Belperron. 

The Belperron Congo Cuff

Among the pieces are the Verdura Medusa Ring made of gold and ruby, created during Verdura’s 1941 collaboration with Salvador Dali; and the Belperron Congo Cuff, made of ebony wood and 18k gold. 

Reza Délhéa necklace

The Place Vendôme high jewelry house, Reza, will return with its well designed and crafted gem-focused jewels. Among them is the Délhéa necklace featuring a 30.34-carat yellow cabochon Ceylon sapphire, a 5.76-carat Troidia Brazilian emerald, 11 yellow oval cabochon sapphires, 103 princess-cut diamonds weighing 16.17 carats and 28 brilliant-cut, diamonds, all set in white browned gold. The necklace converts into a bracelet.

Cleef & Arpels Édaillons necklace and Etoiles earrings

The Parisian luxury jewelry house, Van Cleef & Arpels, will present its delicate artistic creations that include “Édaillons necklace (1968) and Etoiles” earrings (1971) featuring round diamonds and sapphires with cabochon-cut turquoises. The motifs and the association of precious and hard stones reveal an Indian influence. The necklace is transformable and can be worn in a shorter version with a matching bracelet. 

Chopard L.U.C. Full Strike

Swiss luxury brand, Chopard, will be exhibiting jewelry and watches. Among them is the L.U.C. Full Strike, which strikes the hours, quarters and minutes on transparent sapphire crystal gongs. The 42.5 mm case is made of Fairmined rose gold and an open worked dial. 

Chopard emerald ring

One of Chopard’s premiere jewelry pieces for the fair is a ring in a flower motif set at the center with a 19-carat heart-shaped emerald within colorful overlapping gemstone.

The Spencer family tiara

There will be a number of antique jewelry dealers. Among them is Hancocks. Within the 100 or so items being exhibited by the London firm is an Edwardian diamond tiara that belonged to the Spencer family. It was given to Lady Delia Spencer, great aunt to Princess Diana, by her father the 6th Earl Spencer, on her wedding day on February 18, 1914. Set with more than 800 old cut diamonds, estimated to weigh a total of 48 carats, the tiara can be transformed into a choker necklace and bracelet.

Enamel fringe necklace

Another London mainstay, Wartski, known as specialists in the works by Carl Faberge, will include a gold and enamel fringe necklace by highly collectible jewelry artist, Giacinto Melillo of Naples, circa 1875.

Enamel archaeological style bracelet 

Dutch antique silver and jewelry firm, A. Aardewerk Antiquair Juwelier, is also featuring a work designed by Giacinto Melillo: A gold, pearls and enamel archaeological style bracelet is designed, circa 1870. Seven heavy, square panels are joined by gold hinges with semicircular end plaques. Each panel is decorated with motifs in the Etruscan style executed in fine granulation and wirework with applied florets. The reverse of the plaque is decorated with a four-petal motif in applied wirework. 

Gold and diamond earrings, circa 1870

Véronique Bamps of Monaco, who specializes in European and American jewels, will present a cross section of jewels from many periods, including these gold and diamonds earrings, circa 1870. 

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The Belperron Jewelry Revival Begins

Vintage Bamboo Necklace with Detachable Brooches in diamonds, platinum and gold

Suzanne Belperron (1900 – 1983) is considered by many to be one of the most influential jewelry designers of the 20th Century. Her complex, sculptural pieces—personally created for royalty, world-class entertainers and other notable persons from the 1930s to the 1970s—are highly sought among collectors throughout the world, particularly at auction. 

Now for the first time since her retirement in the 1970s new pieces designed by the French artist are available for purchase. In addition, there’s a new showroom in New York to view and purchase both the new collection of posthumous pieces and vintage original items. 

Wai Gu Necklace in nephrite jade and gold

The father and son team of Ward and Nico Landrigan are behind this rebirth of the artist and her brand. It’s something they’ve done before. In 1985, Ward, the former head of Sotheby’s US jewelry department, purchased the remains of the Verdura brand, founded by its creative namesake, Fulco di Verdura (1898 -1978), and with his son returned it to its original glory.

The Landrigans unveiled the Belperron showroom on Thursday. The private space is adjacent to the Verdura showroom, connected by a sliding door. Both are on the 12th floor of an office building on 5th Avenue in New York. 

Inside the Belperron salon during its public unveiling. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco 

In a brief conversation with Ward Landrigan during the showroom opening, he said the formula is the same as with Verdura. Find an undervalued jewelry brand with an impeccable heritage and a famous namesake, acquire it for the right price, and recreate the jewels and heritage. It sounds easy enough but it requires (among other things) great negotiating skills, strict budgeting (particularly for a small business owner) and lots of patience.

After nine years of negotiations with several persons who were unsuccessful in their own attempt to revive the brand, the Landrigans acquired the rights of Belperron in 1999 (or 1998 depending on who you consult) and spent another 16 years bringing the rebirth of the brand to its fruition. As with Verdura, the purchase included artifacts as well as thousands of original drawings by Suzanne Belperron. 

Vintage Godrons Heart Brooch in chalcedony, sapphire and diamonds

With the drawings the Landrigans (as they did with Verdura) began recreating Belperron jewelry using artisans specialized in specific jewelry making techniques, including Parisian workshops with a direct family line to Belperron’s original master craftsmen. 

Over the years, the Landrigans also purchased as much Belperron jewelry as they could through the auction market and private sales to augment the new pieces.

Vintage Torsade Necklace in gold and diamonds

The artistic jewels of Suzanne Belperron reflect a number of different influences. She first became known for her Art deco creations of the 1930s but eventually broke away from the rigid geometric aesthetic and began making jewels with Egyptian, Asian, African and Oceania influences. She was inspired by nature and created shapes based on flora and fauna, on land and below the sea. She was known for her elaborate color combinations and for setting precious stones in semiprecious materials. She also preferred working with 22k gold, despite its softness, because of its color. 

“She was a sculptress, with a gift for divining beautiful shapes,” says Nico Landrigan, who serves as Belperron president. “Belperron had an uncanny sense of texture, color and scale; she understood when to hold a line through the most torturous spiral and when to break it with the rogue placement of an errant gemstone.”

Vintage Tonneau Brooch in chalcedony, diamonds and lacquer

Belperron designed pieces specifically for each individual and hand-delivered them upon their completion. 

She did all of her business by appointment in her private salon in Paris. This leads to the final stage of recreating the Belperron brand.

The Landrigans and their team built a space inspired by the interior of Belperron’s salon. 

Scroll Clasp Necklace with Detachable Vintage Brooch in emeralds an diamonds

This is the third time I’ve seen this space. The first time it was under construction site preparing for the exhibition, “The Power of Style: Verdura at 75” in June 2014. The second time I saw it was at the end of 2014 when the exhibition space was completed. 

Now it has been converted into four comfortable rooms that include a library and a drawing room that captures the aesthetic of a 1930s Parisian apartment. The space features black lacquered trim, sable-colored cases, marble fireplaces and chalcedony blue walls. Couches and fabric-lined chairs of various colors from white to purple are among the antique or antique-styled furnishings in the space. 

Coquillage Earclips in diamonds, platinum and lacquer

The salon’s design came from Belperron’s archive of original gouache paintings, tracings and other archival materials, says project architect, Daniel Romualdez. “I wanted to create an environment that spoke to the elegance and glamour of this spectacular Fifth Avenue location while still evoking the intimate and private world of Suzanne Belperron in Paris of the 1930s.”

The jewelry collection on display includes recreated pieces from the archival drawings and the vintage items purchased by the Landrigans. They are for sale. There also are privately owned Belperron pieces on display that are not for sale. 

Spire pendant Earrings in gold

Among the highlights I saw were the Vintage Bamboo Necklace in diamond, platinum, gold and silver. The two leafy ends of the bamboo necklaces are detachable and can be worn as brooches. A Vintage Tonneau Brooch has the smoky glass appearance of Chalcedony, which seems to be a favorite material for the artist, studded with round diamonds and edges of black enamel. 

Like several of the great jewelry designers of the 20th Century, Belperron found artistic uses for many materials. She was unafraid to use jade as shown by a bold gold necklace lined with rings of nephrite jade. The Wave collection of cuffs and stackable bracelets are as contemporary today as when they were when she first created the design. 

Vintage Roof Cuff in rock crystal, emerald and diamonds

There’s at least one significant way the Belperron brand differs from Verdura. When the Verdura brand was released the Landrigans made a decision to augment its vintage jewels and one-of-a-kind and limited edition recreations, with more affordable recreations. For the first Belperron collection the lowest priced piece item I saw was $13,500, with many pieces well into six figures.

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Cambodian Cuff in Smoky Quartz