Cabochon moonstone, orange and grey paillonné enamel, old-cut diamonds, 18k yellow gold (French mark), 1905-1910, signed G. Fouquet, numbered

Size/Dimensions: 7.8 cm long
Gross weight: 15.5 grams

Cf. M. de Gary, E. Possémé, et al., Les Fouquet Bijoutiers & Joailliers à Paris 1860-1960, Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 1983, p. 159 ill. 92 for the drawing of a very similar brooch

The Fouquet Dynasty
Georges Fouquet (1862-1957) joined his father Alphonse Fouquet (1828-1911) at his Paris jewellery firm on 35, avenue de l'Opéra, in 1891. Upon his father's retirement in 1895, he took over as director of the Maison and was responsible for the Art Nouveau jewels that brought fame to the company in the ensuing years. In 1902, the business moved to 6, rue Royale, where they continued to create the most beautiful objects and jewels in the Art Nouveau and Art Déco styles until the late 1930s. Later Jean Fouquet, one of the founding members of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes), joined his father Georges. He became famous for his avant-garde designs and continued to produce jewellery until his death in 1984.
This brooch signed G. Fouquet has been realised with the beautiful technique of 'paillonné' enameling. A 19th-century technique that involves positioning a piece of delicate sheet of silver or gold, known as a 'paillon', between two coats of enamel, giving it a transparent luminosity.