The Silent Screen Era…The Stars…The Jewels…The Jewelers
It is rare…I believe…that offspring and parent achieve equal fame in in a single field. It
is rarer even yet…I again believe…that this happens in the jewelry field. It did,
however, happen to the Fouquets. Alphonse Fouquet (19th century Renaissance Jeweler–Father)
and George Fouquet (20th century Art Deco and Art Nouveau style Jeweler–Son). Both created
magnificent jewelry.
The Silent Screen. Mirror mirror on the wall / who was the most famous actress of all? Of
that time…I would venture to say no one surpassed Sarah Bernhardt in fame. Americans adored
her…and referred to her as the Divine Sarah–the Parisian tragedienne.
Sometimes…methinks…mere mortals elevate other mere mortals to levels where the elevated
mortals achieve immortal status. Such was the case with Sarah. As long as there are
movies…her name will never die.
George Fouquet was one of Sarah’s jewelers. Whatever jewelry is today–and I’m not talking
beauty or creativity–it does not begin to touch the flamboyance of yesteryear. Although
George Fouquet created an occasional piece in Art Nouveau style…he was primarily an Art Deco
jeweler…the piece of Art Nouveau style jewelry I am about to show you notwithstanding.
A quick aside…a little test for those of you who like testing their knowledge. In America,
Art Deco was often combined with other native styles such as Mayan, Aztec, American Indian,
and pre-Colombian to form new luxurious and innovative creations that often surpassed their
European counterparts. And now for the question…what example is there in American art
(remembering that art takes many forms) that epitomizes the peak of creativity of the Art Deco
era and is still admired by all who view it even today. A hint…for thems what needs hints.
Our example resides in New York. And the answer…for thems what is waiting with bated
breaths…The Chrysler Building…known for it’s “Zigzag” style on its tapered top. Art
Deco…one can only hope…will live on forever in the memorable skyline of the city of New
York.
I can talk about Sarah Bernhardt and I can talk about George Fouquet…but in this instance…I
think I’ve said as much as needs to be said of the two. Except for the piece of jewelry. It’s a
serpent forearm cuff chained to a reptile ring…one did not wear one without the other. And
it’s a knockout. Go look…and let me know if you agree. For those of
you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I direct you to my home page at
www.tyler-adam.com where you will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Tidbits…and then click on the link that says: Cuff…where you will see a graphic of our
Cuff and Ring
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next week. Benjamin Mark
TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com