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Lot Essay
PIERRE STERLÉ
Pierre Sterlé's work is considered to be emblematic of 1950s and 1960s jewellery design, yet his work is regarded as timeless such is its originality and quality. Unusually, his background was not jewellery orientated. The death of his father during World War I left him under the tutelage of his uncle, who was a jeweller. This experience led him away from the banking background of his family and into the world of jewels. In 1934 Sterlé set up on his own. In the closed and elitist world of the Place Vendôme, he was considered somewhat of a revolutionary: atypical, audacious and talented. He received the prestigious De Beers' International Diamond Award three years in a row.
Pierre Sterlé reinvented the art of manipulating precious metal, bending it to fit his most capricious wishes; setting the gemstones in an elevated fashion reminiscent of the Baroque; creating a sense of movement in supple and articulated mounts. He created mobile settings which enhanced the scintillation of the stones, varying their colour according to the light. His overruling ambition was to challenge the technical constraints of jewellery design, thus permitting him to translate the visions from his vivid imagination into jewels. He adored the effect of different colours of gold combined in one object and of varying textured surfaces. Sterlé particularly enjoyed manipulating gold to reproduce the motifs or textures of certain textiles such as braids, cord, tassels, fringes or even basket weave.
Pierre Sterlé's work is considered to be emblematic of 1950s and 1960s jewellery design, yet his work is regarded as timeless such is its originality and quality. Unusually, his background was not jewellery orientated. The death of his father during World War I left him under the tutelage of his uncle, who was a jeweller. This experience led him away from the banking background of his family and into the world of jewels. In 1934 Sterlé set up on his own. In the closed and elitist world of the Place Vendôme, he was considered somewhat of a revolutionary: atypical, audacious and talented. He received the prestigious De Beers' International Diamond Award three years in a row.
Pierre Sterlé reinvented the art of manipulating precious metal, bending it to fit his most capricious wishes; setting the gemstones in an elevated fashion reminiscent of the Baroque; creating a sense of movement in supple and articulated mounts. He created mobile settings which enhanced the scintillation of the stones, varying their colour according to the light. His overruling ambition was to challenge the technical constraints of jewellery design, thus permitting him to translate the visions from his vivid imagination into jewels. He adored the effect of different colours of gold combined in one object and of varying textured surfaces. Sterlé particularly enjoyed manipulating gold to reproduce the motifs or textures of certain textiles such as braids, cord, tassels, fringes or even basket weave.