Pierre Sterlé (French, 1905–1978), designer, Chaumet (French, est. 1780), manufacturer, Bird Brooch, 1960s, gold, diamonds

Audio Description

This brooch was designed by French jeweler Pierre Sterlé in the 1960s. Sterlé lived from 1905–1978. The gold and diamond brooch was manufactured by French jewelry house Chaumet, which was established in 1780.

This brooch takes the form of a bird in flight. It is made of yellow gold and textured allover with voids in the wings. The head is covered with small, faceted diamonds set side by side.

Label Copy

This brooch was designed by French jeweler Pierre Sterlé in the 1960s. Sterlé lived from 1905–1978. The gold and diamond brooch was manufactured by French jewelry house Chaumet, which was established in 1780.

This brooch was designed for Chaumet—a French jewelry house established in the late eighteenth century. Pierre Sterlé designed modern jewelry for the firm throughout the 1960s and served as their artistic director from 1976 until his death in 1978. It was not unusual in the period for companies like Chaumet to employ jewelers who had made a name for themselves as exclusive designers.

Sterlé was famous for his exotic ‘bird’ brooches that combined gold with colorful precious and semi-precious stones. This rather sparse example is characteristic of the designer’s agitated lines in textured gold. With small pavé or close-set diamonds adorning only the head, it skittishly takes flight.

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