VERGER FRERES 1905 Edwardian Enameled Pendant Watch In Platinum & Diamonds
An Edwardian pendant watch designed by Verger Freres.
This is a magnificent pendant-watch, created in Paris France by the Verger Freres company, back in the 1905. The pendant-watch has been crafted in solid platinum and yellow gold of 18 karat and is embellished with engine turned guilloche patterns which are topped with applications of green, blue and gray-blue glass enamel. This one-of-a-kind timepiece is mounted with forty-nine rose-cuts diamonds, and a grisaille miniature painted in a heart shaped panel by the French master enameller Fernand Paillet. The miniature painting depicts the draped figure of Venus surrounded by three cupids, signed with the monogram FP. Fitted on top with a movable ring to wear in a chain as pictured.
Dial: Round, golden with black Arabic numbers and blued steel hands.
Movement: Mechanical, hand-winding, the watch winds and sets by turning the ring-bale.
Diamonds: The heart shaped painting and the ring on top are mounted in flush settings, with 49 old French rose-cut diamonds with a combined weight of about 0.74 carats.
Weight: 18.30 Grams, (11.75 Dwt).
Measurements: 26 mm by 35 mm by 7 mm (1.02 x 1.42 x 0.28 Inches).
Chain length: Inches, (Cm).
Hallmarks: Stamped with French marks, the marks for the assay and warranty of the 18kt gold and the platinum respectively, the maker's mark VR inside a lozenge cartouche associated to Verger Freres, and the four-digits reference serial numbers 1278.
Other miniature works by Paillet.
Fernand Paillet (1850-1918).
He was a French figurine artist, miniature portraitist and jewelry designer. Was born in 1850 in Niort, France and was trained by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. Paillet exhibited at the Salon de Paris in 1873, worked between 1879 and 1888 in the porcelain factory at Sevres and established a studio in Paris in 1890. He became renowned for his figurines, made in bronze and ceramic. He painted portraits of American socialites of the Gilded Age. His portrait sitters included Edith Wharton, the American novelist of the Belle Epoque and miniatures for the Peter Marié collection, now preserved by the New-York Historical Society. He was the miniature painter for the Parisian jeweler Boucheron, working very early on in the Art Nouveau style. Since its founding in 1858, Boucheron creation of exquisite timepieces has led to its nickname "the jeweler of time." Paillet also designed jewelry, a pendant he designed for Marcus & Co., another luxury jewelry retailer in New York, is exhibited at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
Verger Frères
They were synonyms for watches, clocks and jewelry of unparalleled creativity and design, inevitably evoking the ever popular Edwardian and the Art Deco periods. The celebrated house was founded in Paris in 1872 by the talented jeweler and watchmaker Ferdinand Verger (1851-1928). His sons Georges and Henri, as gifted as their father, joined the firm which, in 1911, was renamed Verger Frères, introducing the famous trademark "VF" in a lozenge-shaped stamp, the acknowledged mark for the most esteemed Art Deco pieces. In the years to follow, the manufacture reached its peak, excelling in the production of the most creative designs of the period. Verger Frères creations are distinguished by their innovative use of precious materials and the outstanding workmanship of their watches, clocks, stands, jewelry and frames. Although often associated with Vacheron & Constantin, Verger also worked with all the great houses of the time, among them Ostertag, Van Cleef & Arpels, Janesich, Lacloche, Jaeger and Boucheron in Europe, and Tiffany, Black, Starr & Frost, Spalding & Co. and J. E. Caldwell in the United States, just to name some.
The Edwardian Era
This era, like the Georgian and Victorian eras before it, derives its name from the reign of the English King, Edward VII (1901-1910). Edwardian jewelry is known for representing femininity while incorporating a lot of the color white. Think of diamonds, pearls and white metals like platinum and white gold. Diamonds often had an Old Mine or European cut, and sapphires were a popular choice for pop of color. They tended to be made from platinum and diamonds – the more, the merrier – and used fashionable, intricate techniques such as filigree and millegrain. Edwardian rings are works of art and are best worn alone or alongside a simple wedding band. Mille-graining, a new decorative technique made possible using platinum, is featured often on Edwardian jewelry. Its border of delicate balls and ridges surrounding a gemstone or on the knife sharp edges of a design served to give jewelry a softer, lighter look.
Grisaille
This is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish and bluish colors. it is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculptures.
Guilloché
This term is used in fine jewelry to enhance the appearance of brooches, rings and pendants. Guilloché enamel refers to metal pieces that have been given the Guilloché treatment and then covered with a translucent layer of enamel, giving the geometric patterns underneath the enamel a colorful hue.
Note: The mechanical movement is in working condition but should be revised by a watchmaker.
Collateral: This pendant-watch is accompanied by a presentation jewelry box.
Condition: The overall condition of this Verger Freres pendant watch is excellent. Besides the little normal wear, there is no damage to the gold or the enamel. The 49 diamonds are the original from the stated period. This piece has been carefully inspected to guarantee the condition and authenticity.
INVENTORY REF: P111724SENM/.5572
