LUCIEN GIRARD FOR LACLOCHE FRÈRES, A PAIR OF SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND EAR CLIPS, C1935

LUCIEN GIRARD FOR LACLOCHE FRÈRES, A PAIR OF SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND EAR CLIPS, C1935, of stylised cornucopia design set with lines of graduated baguette-shaped diamonds and graduated oval-shaped sapphires in a spray design, waisted with a panel of calibré-cut sapphires and further diamonds in platinum and white gold, additional hinged clip fittings allowing the earrings to be worn as a pair of lapel brooches, signed, with maker's mark and French control marks, length 4.4cm

Lucien Girard was a Parisian jeweller active during the early decades of the twentieth century, with a registered workshop on the rue du Temple from the early 1920s. He belonged to the tradition of highly skilled fabricants who supplied fine jewellery to leading Paris maisons during the interwar period. While documented as working with Lacloches Frères, Girard operated as an independent workshop craftsman rather than as an exclusive designer for a single house — a common practice within the Paris jewellery trade of the time.

His work reflects the refined geometry and technical precision associated with French Art Deco design, a period during which Paris stood at the forefront of innovation in gemstone cutting and platinum mount construction. The present earrings, set with calibré-cut sapphires arranged in a sculptural curved motif and accented by baguette-cut diamonds, exemplify this aesthetic. The contrast between the richly saturated blue sapphires and the linear diamond elements demonstrates the disciplined symmetry and craftsmanship characteristic of Parisian ateliers in the 1930s.

Although Girard is not often counted among the most widely documented designers of the period, surviving pieces bearing his mark attest to the high standard of workmanship achieved by independent Paris workshops supplying the great jewellery houses of the era.

C.f. a pair of closely comparable earrings can be seen in a Lacloche advertisement in an edition of The Tatler dated 9th December 1936