Inside Violaine d'Astorg jewelry box
Head of the jewelry department at Christie’s France, Violaine d’Astorgcompares her job to a fabulous treasure hunt. Her jewelry box reveals brooches, a family signet ring, some Art Deco pieces and a gold tuning fork. A conversation with an expert who’s fascinated by jewelry that has a story to tell.
Describe your jewelry box. Lots of brooches. A brooch adds character and can be worn in so many different ways. I have a soft spot for animal brooches. Like a pet you can take everywhere. My Van Cleef & Arpels Lion Ébouriffé, for example, or my little Cartier dog brooch that was given to me by a friend for the birth of my daughter. /public-objects/49da6996-1c18-41bc-8fc9-f4bd66e01afb-f1503d20-9fdc-4ea0-a013-0ce588ffd852-Packshot_Clip_Lion_1967_1754026.webp Image sélectionnée /public-objects/b1f65980-4f5a-4ea5-a7eb-8909ee4c4473-8e652931-e23a-458e-b91c-13404e2d72fb-5Q9A0005.webp Image sélectionnée Your earliest jewelry memory? My grandfather. I was studying to become an auctioneer when he took me down to a vault and showed me the most sumptuous jewelry, inherited from a great-great-great-aunt, including a magnificent trembleuse brooch. He gave it to me to appraise. I was hooked. /public-objects/ae58652b-75ad-4678-a2ec-b955aa3cebed-1d309dc8-0251-45a4-83ef-d41b4c555e7e-5Q9A9999.webp Image sélectionnée A piece you wear every day? My signet ring, a gift from my grandfather for my sixteenth birthday, with my family coat of arms. It’s become my signature on Instagram. I also wear a gold tuning fork on a necklace. It helps me strike the right note in my very busy life Your favorite period? Art Deco and specifically UAM, Union des Artistes Modernes. Templier, Després, Fouquet. I see their jewelry more as sculptures. You can sense the industrialization taking place at that time. The most extraordinary piece you’ve ever handled? A Jean Fouquet necklace from the mid-1920s, with interlocking cylinders and an aquamarine weighing 90 carats. It’s on the front cover of Sylvie Raulet’s authoritative work and hadn’t resurfaced since the 1980s. Estimated €350,000, it sold within 24 hours for over a million dollars, to a French private collector. One of the highlights of my career. /public-objects/c92670b7-9021-45c1-b0ee-d7b85c21acab-ec17455a-0ee1-4285-abbf-613acbcec112-LOT%2017%20-%20JEAN%20FOUQUET%20EXCEPTIONNEL%20COLLIER%20ART%20D%C3%83%C2%89CO%20AIGUE-MARINE%20ET%20LAQUE%20-%20%C3%A2%C2%82%C2%AC350%2C000-450%2C000%20(4).webp Image sélectionnée Do you ever bid yourself? Never for my own sales, although I am obsessed with the Drouot app. I’ve got about thirty live alerts. I picked up a nineteenth-century garnet bracelet from a saleroom in La Baule, and a little Belperron brooch that no-one else had spotted. It’s like a fabulous treasure hunt. A piece you’d love to own? A Georges L’Enfant cuff. I’m writing a book about him and have fallen in love with his Paillettes chain bracelets. If it were a watch, it would be the Rolex Queen Midas. Any advice for buying at auction? Look at the maker’s mark, as well as the fineness mark for the metal. Most of all, though, follow your heart! You can still find affordable antique jewelry, because of the lower gold content. And don’t buy what everyone else is wearing. Jewelry is a fantastic way of showing who you are. /public-objects/d1cc0fba-3e9e-4f71-9f58-a27f18299e1b-c4cd50a9-1f19-40cd-8d89-0465bcf5a35c-5Q9A9990.webp Image sélectionnée