Jean Michel Schlumberger (1907 - 1987) was an innovative French jewelry designer with a long and prolific career. Today he is most closely associated with Tiffany & Co. However, prior to joining the firm, Schlumberger had already made his mark on the world of jewelry design. He was born into a family in the textile industry in Alsace, France. As a child, Schlumberger was a burgeoning artist, always sketching. His parents refused to encourage this passion and prohibited him from receiving any kind of formal training. Instead, they sent him to Berlin to begin a career in finance. Despite this, Schlumberger was determined to pursue his passion and began his career in the world of fashion. In the 1930’s, starting with Elsa Schiaparelli, the cutting-edge clothing designer in Paris, he designed jewelry for her couture collection.
The end of the decade brought with it World War II and Schlumberger served in the French Army. Schlumberger served under General Charles de Gaulle and fought in the Middle East and at the Battle of Dunkirk. Following the war, Schlumberger made his way to New York, where he opened his own jewelry salon with Nicolas Bongard, who would become his longtime business partner. It was here that Schlumberger’s fanciful style was seen for the first time and soon became admired by fashionable women including Babe Paley, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Lot 95, circa 1950, was produced during Schlumberger’s early years in New York. Always taking his cues from nature, this piece is a wonderful example of the organic, three-dimensional, and brilliant use of color that made Jean Schlumberger one of the most sought after jewelry designers of his era.