The jewelry that was produced by Henry Birks and Sons has always been admired for its high quality and lavish luxury. The company’s designers never neglected the classical dazzle of the diamond for any other types of precious stones and made the brand renowned for its outstanding brilliant jewelry. The designs of the platinum, white and yellow gold diamond rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and pendants have always had a classical form with the gemstones being the centerpieces of each item focusing the attention on their perfection and unmistakable sparkle.

The jewelry made by the company was also primarily designed by Jensen himself although the other designers contributed to the creative process. The founder of the company worked mainly with silver in the beginning of his jewelry making career, although he later presented remarkable gold, white gold and platinum pieces as well. The designs of the necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pendants and brooches were also inspired by the natural world. The gentle and exquisite floral and leaf and simplistic beautifully curved organic forms …

At that time a sort of small gold medal was fashionable upon which it was customary for noblemen and gentlemen to cause to be engraved certain devices and fancies of their own, and they commonly wore them upon their caps. I made several things of this sort, but found such works very difficult : the celebrated artist Caradosso would not take less than a hundred crowns for one of them, because they contained numerous figures.

The company that changed the trend and created its own unique and iconic style, which became influential not only in America, but in the entire world, was Tiffany & Co. Founded in New York City in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and Teddy Young, Tiffany and Co. was a stationary and fancy goods emporium and specialized in the sale of fine glass and porcelain decorative objects.

A small jewel hanging by a narrow ribbon, so arranged that the ornament comes in the middle of the forehead. So called from the picture in The Louvre

With Louis Cartier coming in to charge of the workshop, his innovative and masterful jewelry making techniques and designs changed the ideas of decorative arts and fashion forever. He drew his inspiration from the different trends in art and design and his jewelry work reflected adequately the moods of the epoch, but at the same time he successfully utilized the classical designs created by his prominent forefathers.

Most of the early Empire jewellery is made on the flat. There is little relief or modelling. It has the appearance of having been cut with scissors out of the sheet and stuck together in the required form. There was a certain carefulness about the execution but no imagination about the designs, for the ornaments of this time usually consist of groups of certain stereotyped details …

We in Austria have greater leanings to France than to America, and precious stones, however great their intrinsic value, are looked upon as of quite secondary value in modern art-work to beauty of line and of colour. French influence on Austrian work cannot fail to be recognised.

… there is no doubt that there is far more activity in the production of jewellery for women in Vienna than in almost any other city. The culture of our town is, indeed, essentially feminine. The graceful and witty, yet dreamy and passionate, girls and women of Vienna give to it its distinctive character.

… these are charming works of art, beautifully and harmoniously designed, and with lines balanced to perfection. They are, in fact, jewels meant to be worn …