Most widely known for his opalescent glassware – ranging from perfume bottles to vases – René Lalique (1860–1945) began his career as a jewellery designer.
I’m much more a fan of Art Deco than Art Nouveau jewellery, but Lalique’s exquisite designs are truly breathtaking. His pieces – hand-crafted from precious metals & stones, enamel, mother-of-pearl and, of course, glass – portray subjects taken from nature. He depicts insects such as butterflies, bees and dragonflies, birds, fruit, flowers and foliage.
If this post has whetted your vintage René Lalique jewellery appetite, there are lots of books on just that subject – I can’t afford to buy an example of the real thing, so the colour photographs between the pages will have to suffice!
Additional image credits:
