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Description: |
The Rue de la Paix was a bastion for jewelers, couturiers,
shirt-makers, hat and glove-makers, and perfume
manufacturers! If you were wealthy and enjoyed being catered
to in the contemporary style and taste of the time, this was
the place to be. Visitors could stay in prestigious hotels,
visit posh cafes and coffee houses, ride through the streets
and gardens in elegant barouches to see and be seen.
My design "Rue de la Paix" was inspired by the sense of what
this famous street would have looked like in the late
1890's. The streets lined with fashionable shops, their
windows laden with wares of their trade, enticing the
passersby to stroll in to shop. The sights, smells and a
sense that fashion and fine jewelry had found a home here
must have been truly amazing. Watching the likes of Kings
and Queens, Princes and Princesses, Dukes and Duchesses,
being escorted to their favorite shops to purchase something
special, must of truly been a grand spectacle to witness!
The House of Cartier created torque-style bracelets inspired
by animal bracelets dating from the 8th-7th centuries BC.
Traditionally, these bracelets had animal heads that were
facing each other and were hinged at the underside of the
bracelet. This style is very difficult to create in beadwork
as the structure has to be shaped and rigid, but I have
finally figured it out!
Rue de la Paix has two pearl "heads", each embellished with
three 6mm CZ's, that are bezeled with peyote stitch, along
with rings of crystals for an added sparkle. The body of the
bracelet has a brass cuff blank and a rubber tubing armature
that supports two tubes of peyote stitch that are shaped to
curve to the shape of the cuff blank. Fashion and beadwork
come together….creating elegance along the way! |
