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NEW YORK —  French goldsmith and engraver René Boivin (1864-1917) built an impressive company that was one of the leading European jewelry houses in the 20th century. Known for his striking designs that went against the naturalistic look that prevailed during the Art Nouveau era, Boivin was celebrated for his unusual choice of materials and his wildly imaginative pieces. The Maison Boivin (House of Boivin) continued in business for decades after his death under his wife Jeanne Boivin’s leadership, and she held true to his legacy, creating many inventive compositions that blended semi-precious stones or pearls with materials such as enamel, rock crystal and hardstones.

The House of Boivin’s work was often highly sculptural and had a modern feel, as reflected by a circa-1935 Art Deco-era sapphire ring that was centered on a Kashmir sapphire weighing more than 12 carats. It brought €110,000 ($116,062) plus the buyer’s premium in July 2022 at Tajan.

Jean-Norbert Salit, Tajan’s jewelry expert, noted that while the ring is very finely made, “the surprise was not the Boivin style, the surprise was that it was Kashmir.” He noted that when Kashmir stones are very nice, they go for strong prices, as was the case for the Art Deco sapphire ring.

A statement piece that shows off Boivin’s forward-thinking style is a circa 1935-1945 necklace with articulated citrine and beryl gemstones in 18K pink gold,  which earned €58,000 ($61,183) plus the buyer’s premium in July 2021 at Tajan. While not going so far as to call this necklace iconic, Salit said this is the “type of piece that everyone who knows René Boivin would like to have,” adding that it does not feature precious stones, so it was not too expensive when it was originally made.

The House of Boivin was bold in its designs and masterful in its color combinations, which is evidenced by a Cedar Tree brooch set in 18K gold with amethyst and pink tourmaline. It achieved $100,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2021 at Grogan & Company, nearly tripling its high estimate. The tree trunk in the piece was pave-set with circle-cut amethyst and pink tourmaline, and the tree roots were composed of kite-cut amethyst, with the leaves shaped by oval-cut amethyst and cabochon pink tourmaline. Though designed after his death, the piece is unmistakably in Boivin’s style, according to the auction house’s catalog description of this brooch, which states,“The playful combination of pink tourmalines, amethysts, and contrasting green demantoid garnets in the tree brooch communicates this legacy.”

Statement necklaces are among the most sought-after Boivin pieces and elicit robust bidding. A circa-1950 drapery necklace in 18K gold with plaited links resembling fabric brought €28,000 ($29,537) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2022 at Piasa. The edges were embellished with cultured pearls, turquoise pear-cut cabochons pendants and small diamonds.

Salit said that Boivin’s jewelry dating from the 1950s and earlier are the most coveted because after that time, most jewelers abandoned the practice of designing to order for customers in favor of offering prefabricated works. “The pieces are really works of art and collector pieces,”  he said.

Though the firm closed not long after it was sold to the Asprey group in 1991, the market for Boivin has always been robust. “From the end of the 2000s. I wont say it’s a strong market, but an elegantly strong market,” he said, noting there are keen collectors eager to snap up fine and unique pieces as they so seldom come up at auction. Another interesting market trend is that Americans — particularly those living on the East and West coasts — have long been competitive buyers of Boivin, according to Salit. “From the beginning up to the 20th century, it was a name that was famous in that social circle of billionaires,” he said, adding that the Boivin name was not a secret, but much business came via word–of-mouth referrals for people seeking exclusive and distinctive jewelry.

Pearls were one of Boivin’s signature materials and a pair of pearl and golden ear clips was pictured on the cover of the 1994 book Rene Boivin: Jeweller, by Francoise Caille and Tanya Leslie, which itself has become a collectors’ item. Copies of the lavishly illustrated English-language book are priced at more than $2,000 on used book websites. Further proving the point about pearls is the fact that a Boivin cultured pearl, diamond and emerald bracelet set in platinum went out at $18,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2020 at Fortuna.

Another fine work in pearls that demonstrates the House of Boivin’s style in crafting chunky and bold works of art is a cultured pearl and black enamel cuff bracelet set in 18K gold and sterling silver. It realized $7,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022 at Rago Arts and Auction Center.

The Egyptian Revival aesthetic, kicked off by the 1922 discovery of King Tut’s tomb, was popular in the late 1920s and again in the 1960s and 1970s, with the best jewelry houses across Europe issuing designs in that style, and Maison Boivin was no exception. An Egyptian Revival turquoise scarab bracelet by Boivin in 18K gold made £8,000 ($9,762) plus the buyer’s premium in August 2023 at Elmwood’s. The piece features a row of eight oval cabochon turquoise stones carved as scarabs with stylized borders of lotus flowers.

From its beginnings sketching designs for pieces that were then made to order for wealthy clients, the House of Boivin has an unimpeachable track record of creating jewelry that resonates with buyers. Both René and Jeanne, and their in-house master jewelers who came later, were known for designing jewelry that brought out the best in the wearer but also had their own distinctive identities. For this reason, Boivin, both the man and the hosue, was loathe to sign pieces and only did so at a client’s request. In her book, Callas noted that Jeanne Boivin believed that a stunning piece of jewelry needed nothing else to speak for itself. Collectors evidently agree, judging by the interest and the demand that Boivin pieces command.

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