Blog:Artistic luxury
from the Antique Jewelry University
San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor is currently featuring a magnificent exhibition entitled
Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique
- By Barbra Voltaire
This exhibit is described as the first comparative study of designs created by Peter Carl Fabergé, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and René Lalique specifically for the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris.
The 1900 World’s Fair in Paris was the only exhibition which featured examples of all their work simultaneously and this exhibit proudly reunites several of their most opulent and impressive pieces.
On Thursday, February 26, 2009, the Legion of Honor presented a special lecture by Alan Revere, award winning and classically trained fine jewelry fabricator, to describe techniques used by the aforementioned masters to create their outstanding and ingenious work.
His presentations started with an overview of jewelry manufacturing techniques utilized for the last several thousand years. Surprisingly, with the exception of powering tools and lighting the workshop with electricity, little has changed, mechanically.
With the aid of a Power Point presentation, Alan explained the arduous process of planning and creating a fine jewel from the ground up. He emphasized the passion for perfection and the painstaking attention to detail that was the common thread connecting these legendary craftsmen. Demonstrating every step of the fabricating process from alloying gold, using a rolling mill to form wire and sheet, forging form and creating texture, stone setting, enameling and finishing, Alan Revere gave us a true appreciation for the level of skill and inspiration essential in the creation of these masterpieces.
Links
- Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique. Exhibition February 7, 2009 — May 31, 2009