Bijoux Regionaux What's new? -

What's new? -

What's new?

articles and photos added recently

Dear collectors, auctioneers and dealers and amateurs,

You have visited the site www.bijouxregionaux.com which for ten years has listed all regional and traditional French jewellery, without advertising and without sales.

Following public demand, this website will finally appear in a book, much more complete and with many new photos and texts that are not on the site. I traveled more than 4,500 km in 2020 to visit the various collectors and museums of France and to photograph, weigh, measure and examine their jewellery.

Large format of 23.5 x 30 cm, 304 pages, hardcover and fully illustrated with over 1300 jewels in color, this book will be the first complete book on the subject and will correct the many errors and gaps observed in the other references and present other regional jewels up till now unknown to the public. You will find eight pages on Breton pins and fibulae and many other jewels in museums and private collections that are not on this website. Over four months of research has gone into making the chapter on hallmarks the most reliable ever seen - clear illustrations of hallmarks have been made especially for this volume. And for the first time, collectors will have access to a complete list of all the assay office symbols, small signs in the hallmarks that identify in which city the jewellery was hallmarked. The opening and closing dates since 1798 of the hallmark offices are also listed for the first time, allowing, with the office symbol, to better date your jewelry.

The print run of this book is very limited, which is why I recommend you order early.

Contact me for details.

bijouregional@gmail.com

One copy €75 postage and packing €5

Two copies €145 free shipping

Limit of two copies per subscriber

30th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°249

Gold Tarentaise Jeannette cross, with central motifs of the Saint Maurice cross and the Holy Spirit

27th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Normandy - n°248

necklace made of three catches, gold and enamel
click on the photos to enlarge them in high resolution

27th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Centre - Loire Valley - n°247

gold shell cameo ear pendants

26th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Introduction - n°246

Saint Lô cross in silver and Rhinestones where the polished-off culets have been imitated by black painted spots

At the end of the 19th century, the Parisian jewellers making French regional jewellery would do their best to make them look as antique as possible. On antique diamonds and Rhinestones, the bottom point of the stone, the culet, was polished off and so in order to make the modern cut stones look like the antique ones, the jewellers would paint a black spot on the culet of the stone.

26th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°245

Gold Tarentaise Jeannette cross, with central motifs of the Saint Maurice cross and the Holy Spirit

26th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°244

three pairs of "briquet' ear pendants, popular in the Auvergne and Dauphiné regions

20th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°243

"rang d'or" necklace in gold and enamel

15th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - North - n°242

French folk costume with very long ear pendants
and soleil coiffe - Pas de Calais region - antique postcard

15th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°241

traditional mountain folk dress from Auvergne

15th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°240

Folk costume from Poitou

15th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°239

Bressane folk costume

8th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°238

publicity by Mr. Bonsaquet of Chambéry

6th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°237

Provençale badine cross from the Arles region, in pink gold, diamonds and black enamel

6th March 2020 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°236

csilver châtelaine clip, Poitou

29th February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Champagne - Ardenne - n°235

croix de Valloire en or (copie moderne)
Valloire cross in gold

29th February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Aquitaine - n°234

Woman from the valley d'Ossau in gala costume

29th February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Centre, Loire Valley - n°233

Market gardener from Vendée with cape and silver cape clips

Ring "à la française"

'Bagues à la française' en or et strass

It should be noted that the moulds and dies used to make the French rings known as "bague à la Française", popular in Vendée and Normandy, were also used to make "poissarde" earrings, brooches and even some stick-pins.

Guimbarde brooches

Men's guimbarde brooc decorated with double hearts and used to hold the shirt closed, silver

illustration from 1903 showing how the guimbarde pin was used to close the shirt

men's heart-shaped guimbarde topped with a crown and pierced by an arrow, silver

men's heart-shaped guimbarde pin topped with a crown and a crucifix and pierced by an arrow, silver, 1798-1809

men's double heart-shaped guimbarde pin topped with a crown and a cross and pierced by an arrow, silver,

Vendéen brooch in stamped out and engraved silver

Vendéen stick-pin in stamped out and engraved silver

Chouan pendant in silver, modern

23rd February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Poitou region - n°232

silver cape clasp

21st February 2020 - Regional jewellery - North - Pas de Calais region - n°231

Three pansy necklace worn with regional costume from Le Portel

20th February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°230

Women's cape clasp with central flower motif without palmette terminals

silver cape clasp

20th February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Centre - Loire Valley - n°229

overcoat catch in engraved and openworked silver

9th February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Antilles - n°228

"rang d'or" necklace in gold

1st February 2020 - Regional jewellery - Antilles - n°227

"chenille" (caterpillar) earrings and "chou" (cabbage) necklace

26th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Picardy - n°226

Amiens cross in silver

24th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Exhibitions - n°225

Exposition de bijou régionaux, au Musée Bernard d'Agesci 26, avenue de Limoges 79000 Niort

Jusqu'au 31 mai 2020, exposition des bijoux régionaux Niortais, entrée €5.

24th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°224

épingle de fichu

24th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Brittany - n°223

Brittany cross in silver, front and back view

24th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°222

The Dauphiné clover cross

small Dauphiné clover cross in gold

23rd January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°221

postcard of Normandy regional jewellery

15th January 2020 - The Jewels of the French - Earrings and ear pendants - n°220

gold and Rhinestone creoles, popular with Gypsies

traditional créoles in gold with their facetted spheres

15th January 2020 - Engagement - n°219

Men's engagement rings in enamelled gold (150%)

14th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Alsace Lorraine - n°218

Lorraine cross with thistle motif

14th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°217

coiffe pin in gold and
Bressan enamel

14th January 2020 - The Jewels of the French - Good luck charms - n°216

gold ring with horse-shoe motif set with pearls and sapphires

14th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Provence Alpes Côtes d'Azur - n°215

provençale creole earrings in gold and coral

provençale shawl pins in gold

14th January 2020 - The Jewels of the French - Huguenot jewllery - n°214

two Huguenot crosses in gold

14th January 2020 - Engagement - n°213

two faith rings (bagues de foi) gold (200%)

13th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - North, Pas de Calais - n°212

Snake ring set with sapphire and ruby, populair in the North Pas de Calais region and Normandy(150%)

12th January 2020 - The jewels of the French - n°212

cape clasp in silver, Paris 1809-1819

two skirt clips made of silvered wire, formed into shape then flattened

12th January 2020 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°211

coat clasp, hand-formed and chiseled silver, Normandy, 1828-1838

The Macon cross

22nd December 2019 - Regional jewellery - Burgundy - n°210

Macon cross in gilt metal with velvet ribbon decorated with sequins and spangles

Macon cross in steel with velvet ribbon decorated with sequins, spangles and other motifs in cut and polished steel

This cross with its ribbon was sold to the Victoria et Albert museum during the International Exhibition of 1872 in London and claimed to be from the town of Macon. I have no other trace of similar crosses from Macon. It is made of cut or stamped steel and the museum paid 17 shillings and six pence for it. During the Exhibition, the French Superior Commission of Exhibitions wrote - "At Macon, pretty little plates of polished steel, cut with great finesse and as if they were stamped out, are fixed on velvet necklaces, like those that our elegant Parisians did not disdain to wear just a few years ago. " (1) The question is, were these necklaces really worn at Macon or did the commission simply see necklaces that the Parisian jewellers had concocted for sale to the London market?

22nd December 2019 - Regional jewellery - Picardy - n°209

Picardy cross in gold and Rhinestones
this cross was purchased in 1869 by the Victoria et Albert museum of London and was said to be from Picardy

2nd December 2019 - The jewels of the French - Good luck charms - n°208

good luck pig charm in gold and rubies

collection of good luck stick-pins with horsehoe motifs, gold, diamonds and rubies

2nd December 2019 - Regional jewellery - Brittany - n°207

Finistère cross in silver

2nd December 2019 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°206

silver reliquairy cross from the Ordre of the Visitation
engraved with the names of Saint François de Sales and Sainte Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, fonders of the order in the town of Annecy

2nd December 2019 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°205

coiffe pin from Auvergne in gold set with a citrine

30th November 2019 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°204

four coiffe pins in gold with facetted heads

oiffe pin in gold
and Rhinestones

pansy coiffe pin in gold
and enamel

cliquez sur les photos pour les agrandir en haute résolution

pair of linked coiffe pins in gold and filigree

triple linked coiffe pins in gold and filigree

pansy coiffe pins in gold and enamel

four linked coiffe pins in gold

three pairs of linked coiffe pins in gold and turquoises

two pairs of linked coiffe pins in gold

three filigree gold coiffe pins

pansy coiffe pin in
gold and enamel

pair of linked pins in gold with natural pearls

pair of coiffe pins in gold-
plated brass and cameo

17th November 2019 - Regional jewellery - The North - n°203

Three pansy necklace from the north of France, gold

17th November 2019 - Regional jewellery - Burgundy - n°202

"slave necklace" from Burgundy in gold, enamel and Rhinestones

The Dauphiné Protestant ring

rare Protestant ring from the Dauphiné region in enamelled brass

29th October 2019 - The jewels of the French - other crosses - n°201

27th October 2019 - Regional jewellery - Brittany - n°200

Bourg en Batz cross in silver

27th October 2019 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°199

Slide from a Normandy bosse cross in gold

27th October 2019 - Regional jewellery - Savoy, Bresse - n°198

cross garnished with enamels from Bresse, silver

25th September 2019 - Wedding anniversary - n°197

sselection of Love medals plus qu'hier et bien moins que demain in gold and synthetic rubies

25th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°196

pair of "briquets" ear pendants in gold, popular in Auvergne and the Dauphiné region

25th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Brittany - n°195

Bourg en Batz or Brittany cross in silver

15th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°194

clavier in silver with its chains and separater, hallmarked in Marseille

clavier en argent avec ses chaînes et séparateur

15th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Brittany - n°193

clasp in silver for a men's working smock

silver "Jeannette" cross from Brittany with its velvet ribbon

silver "Jeannette" cross from Brittany with its sequin spangled velvet ribbon

14th September 2019 - The jewels of the French - Chatelaines, clips and claviers - n°192

cape clasp in silver

14th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Normandy II - n°191

silver shirt buttons, 19th century

14th September 2019 - Wedding anniversary - n°190

a selection of love medals plus qu'hier et bien moins que demain
in gold plate with Rhinestones, used by a salesman from Augis

14th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°189

provençale shawl pins in gold and rose-cut diamonds

10th September 2019 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°188

Jewels from the church of Our Lady of Mercy at Martigues as they are now displayed at the Ziem museum in Martigues

Jewels originally from the church of Our Lady of Mercy at Martigues as they are now displayed at the Ziem museum in Martigues

5th August 2019 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°187

antique silver shirt buttons, hand engraved

cape clasp, stamped silver

26th July 2019 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°186

Donades cross from Le-Puy-en-Velay in silver

folk costume and cross from Auvergne

17th July 2019 - Regional jewellery - Occitanie - n°185

Narbonne cross in gold

22nd June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°184

Maurienne cabochon cross in silver

22nd June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Normandy 1 - n°183

Yvetot cross, silver and Rhinestones

22nd June 2019 - The jewels of the French - Crosses - n°182

portrait of a young girl by Pierre-Eugène Guérithault, museum Saint-Croix de Poitiers

19th June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°181

boutons de chemise ou de col en argent gravé "IL TIEN"(200%)

14th June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Provence, Alpes, Côte d'Azur - n°180

four provencale claviers in silver

14th June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Occitania - n°179

Silver belt clip or chatelaine with hallmark from Nîmes

12th June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°178

type III "des Villards" flat cross, silver gilt, note the Holy Spirit motif

5th June 2019 - Regional jewellery - Normandy I - n°177

type IV bosse cross in silver

15th May 2019 - Regional jewellery - Centre - Loire valley - n°176

Angers flat cross in gold

15th May 2019 - Regional jewellery - Burgundy - n°175

"slave necklace" from Burgundy in gold, pearls and Rhinestones

detail (200%)

15th May 2019 - Regional jewellery - Limousine - n°174

'ecotée' cross, gold, 18th-19th century, Limoges region, front and back view

13th May 2019 - First communion - n°173

Dizaine bracelet in silver and mother-of-pearl

13th May 2019 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°172

silver cape clasp, 1838-1919

agrafe de capot, Poitou, argent estampé, 19^ème siècle, transformé en boucle de ceinture

13th May 2019 - The war - n°171

Patriotic watch, 1914, copper-nickel

13th May 2019 - Regional jewellery - Normandy 2 - n°170

silver shirt or collar buttons, 19th century

silver shirt buttons, 19th century

13th May 2019 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°169

Dauphiné cross in gold

Arlesien cross with seven table-cut diamonds

18th March 2019 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°168

Holy Spirit pendant from Auvergne (?) in gold and garnets

18th March 2019 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°167

provencal fibula in silver and Rhinestones

16th March 2019 - The jewels of the French - The Jeannette cross - n°166

The Jeannette crosses were worn throughout France, and particularly in the regions that had not adopted a unique cross of their own. They were inexpensive, being generally of silver or of hollow, stamped gold, even gold-plated. Often produced in Paris, they were resold by local jewellers or by traveling salesmen who set up stands at the local fairs and religious gatherings. In Savoy, however, they were generally locally made of solid not hollow gold or silver.

Some of the crosses are plain on both sides while others have a facetted finish on one side, made to resemble a cross that has been roughly hewn with an adze. It is possible that this more sparkling side was worn outwards on Sundays and for special occasions, or perhaps the less sparkling side was worn to church. There are dozens of different designs for the central square or circle; that of a flower is the most popular and the design is often different on the other side. It seems that Jeannette crosses were worn from 1783 by all classes, then only by women in the countryside. After 1872 for a few years there was a fashion for city women to wear them too, then this fashion was over and again the country women were the only ones to wear them. There are several explanations of the origin of the name of the Jeannette cross.

The play Jerome Pointu was played in 1781 by the actor Volanges with Miss Bisson in the role of Jeannette, the servant of the old prosecutor Jerome, and she appeared on the stage with a small gold cross worn on her neck tied with a black velvet ribbon. The Jeannette cross soon became the rage in all classes of society.

According to the Dictionnaire de l'Industrie et des arts industriels of 1881, "It was then that, around 1781, the jewelers obtained one of their greatest successes, when women, eager for novelties, hung small dolphins on their necks, a transparent allusion to the birth of the son of Louis XVI (known as the dauphin). In 1783 the dolphins were replaced by the Jeannette crosses.

L'Observateur des Modes of 1826 gives another explanation of the origin of the name Jeannette cross. "These crosses were in vogue forty years ago, because of an actress who, under the name of Jeannette, shared with Jerome Pointu, (the actor Volanges), the favor of the public in Jerome Pointu, but this is not their origin: from time immemorial, the servants in our countryside wear gold crosses hanging from a black ribbon, and we call these crosses Jeannettes, because these crosses are what they give themselves or buy themselves on the fête of Saint-Jean, the date when their contracts are initiated or renewed." (1)

Jeannette crosses were often worn with a heart-shaped slide through which the ribbon was run and which allowed the height of the cross to be adjusted. After the crushing naval defeat by the English of the commander François Joseph Paul de Grasse in 1782, it was cynically said that the crosses certain women wore without slides were à de la Grasse, that is to say they were heartless.

According to the magazine Le Corsaire of 1826, this year's fashion is for Jeannette crosses, "but very large."

The Dictionnaire de l’Académie Française of 1881 defines "Jeannette" as "a very young maid".

The Dictionnaire français illustré des mots et des choses from 1889 defines "Jeannette" as "a gold cross that ladies wore hanging on the neck by a velvet ribbon: The Norman peasants still wear Jeannettes tied by a very short ribbon."

And the Dictionnaire Universel des Sciences, des Lettres et des Arts of 1896 called the Jeannette a "gold cross sometimes surmounted by a heart, which peasant women wear suspended with a velvet ribbon, and which the ladies some time ago wore in their imitation". (Note the distinction between city "ladies" and women in the countryside).

It therefore seems that the fashion for the ladies in the cities to wear regional jewels, which restarted around 1872 with the International Exhibition of London, was more or less finished before 1889. A number of so-called regional jewels were in fact produced purely to satisfy this fashion and to be sold to tourists and were not destined for a local clientele. Today it's almost impossible to distinguish these later jewels from the more authentic regional jewels

14th March 2019 - Regional jewellery - North, Pas-de-Calais - n°165

Belt clip for scissors from the north of France

Silver belt clip for hanging scissors, 18th century with Lille hallmark

27th February 2019 - Chains and necklaces - n°164

In the mid nineteenth century women wore small pocket watches on a long chain, today sometimes mistakenly called muff chains. After wristwatches came into favour, these chains were worn without a watch, and because of their length were sometimes wound several times around the neck. In order to stop one of the loops sagging and causing the other loop to rub against the throat, a small gold or silver “slide” was fitted to the chain. A spring clip at the back allowed the different sizes of the loops to be adjusted and maintained. These slides were often miniature works of art and are collected today.

gold and silver slides for attaching to long neck chains, recto - verso

27th February 2019 - Regional jewellery - Occitanie - n°163

Basque flowered crosses in gold and in silver, modern

27th February 2019 - Engagement - n°162

pendant "Toi et Moi" (you & me) in hand-cut gold, enlarged 200%

27th February 2019 - The war- n°161

Gold souvenir medal of the armistice engraved PAX 11 novembre 1918 (150%)

27th February 2019 - Sentimental jewellery - n°159

souvenir ring in gold and tressed hair

27th February 2019 - Baptism - n°158

gold baby tooth rings

21st February 2019 - The jewels of the French - Earrings - n°157

text from 1910:

The study of earrings found in the burials of the Middle Ages leads me to talk to the Committee about the wearing of earrings by men: because it is a custom that will disappear from the localities where it was in use.

Forty years ago, we noticed in a party of journeymen that was not far from the Observatory, in Paris, and in the middle of the ribbons which adorned the hats, the men had large earrings in their ears. - A few months later, I made the same observation at a ball in the rue Montmartre.

It was therefore an established fact for me that the workmen wore earrings with the emblems of their corporations. The war of 1870-1871 and the Commune arrived, and I had completely forgotten the "Companions of Duty" and their insignia, when my attention was once again drawn to the symbolic ornaments hanging in their ears by the workers of the peninsula of Tourville, near Elbeuf.

It was no longer a matter of organised workers - unionised, according to the modern name - nor of the Companions of the Tour de France, but of artisans, of simple villagers, ignorant, or almost, of the formulae of associations. I made an investigation which revealed to me two principal motives: fashion and use; a cure against sore eyes. This latter one is not justified, or at least the Medical Faculty hardly believes it.

As for the fashion, this was certainly inspired by the use that urban workers made of earrings to identify themselves in the various corporations.

Thus, in the communes of Tourville, Cleon, Freneuse, and Saint-Aubin, sailors were seen sporting the anchor carved in the golden ring which they hung in their ears; the weavers had the shuttle as emblem; the cabinet maker and the cartwright wore the compass and the axe; the carpenters had the same tools, but differently arranged. The farmhands wore a hitched plow and its driver.

The three loops that I’ve sketched, thanks to the benevolence of their owners (1), will suffice to show the dimensions of these earrings as well as the symbols in use.

They further indicate that the men who still wear them belonged to the generation of 1830, and that the custom must have been abandoned around 1850, since the men, now sixty years old, no longer have their ears pierced to suspend from their lobes the symbolic or healing earring.

9th February 2019 - Regional jewellery - Centre - Loire valley - n°156

Jeannette cross with pendants, Anjou region, gold plated

23rd January 2019 - Regional jewellery - Centre - Loire valley - n°155

Berry cross from Bourges region, in silver

30th Novembre 2018 - Regional jewellery - Provence - n°154

devote or Jeannette cross from Arles in gold, silver and diamonds with its triple chain necklace

30th Novembre 2018 - Chatelaines and belt clips - n°153

rare 18th century brass belt clip inscribed "DON DAMY" (don d'un ami, a gift from a friend)

30th Novembre 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandy 2 - n°152

jubilee ring in silver

26th Novembre 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandy 2 - n°151

portrait presumed to be of Charlotte Corday with fileuses ear pendants, oil paint on canvas circa 1790

26th Novembre 2018 - Regional jewellery - Picardy - n°150

pilgrim's cross from Notre Dame de Liesse in brass, obverse and reverse

13th Novembre 2018 - Champagne - Ardenne - n°149

grain cross
worn in the area between Chalons en Champagne, Troyes and Paris and possibly other regions

9th Novembre 2018 - Rhone Alpes - n°148

silver locket with Bresse enamel decoration

5th Novembre 2018 - Engagement - n°147

bague "à la duchesse Anne" en argent et grenats

"Duchess Anne" rings in silver set with garnets, 1819-1919

5th Novembre 2018 - Christening - n°146

pendant with baby tooth

31st October 2018 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°146

folk dress from the Poitou region

30th October 2018 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°145

Mr. Bonsaquet from Chambéry collected and sold French regional jewels and enjoyed sharing his passion with his clients
click on the photo to see it in high resolution

25th October 2018 - Regional jewellery - Poitou - n°144

silver cape clasp - 1819-1838

click on the photo to see it in high resolution

21st October 2018 - Regional jewellery - North Pas de Calais - n°143

French folk costume with very long ear pendants
and soleil coiffe - Pas de Calais region - antique postcard

21st October 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandy 1 - n°142

Holy Sprit pendant, front and back view, silver and Rhinestones

17th October 2018 - Regional jewellery - North Pas de Calais - n°141

French folk costume from Boulogne-sur-Mer with very long
ear pendants and soleil coiffe - Pas de Calais region - antique postcard

5th October 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandie crosses and necklaces - n°141

cape clasp, stamped silver, Normandy, 19th century, front view

the hallmarks

cape clasp, stamped silver, Normandy, 19th century, back view

4th October 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandie crosses and necklaces - n°140

short necklace made of hair with an enamelled gold catch

29th September 2018 - Wedding anniversary - n°139

Semper (forever) medal for 20 years of marriage in gold and plique-à-jour enamel, engraved 1891-1911

29th September 2018 - Regional jewellery - Alsace - Lorraine - n°138

set of rosary beads in fitted case in gold and Malachite with a cross from Lorraine

20th September 2018 - Regional jewellery - Occitanie - n°137

gold and enamelled badine cross from the Tarn

8th September 2018 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°136

Large type II "des Villards" flat cross, silver

Large type I "des Villards" flat cross with its heart-shaped slider and original ribbon, silver

Maurienne cabochon cross with a Turin knot slide in silver gilt

30th August 2018 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°135

Rustic Art in Savoie

It took us seven or eight hours to reach a world where the costumes were two centuries old, where the pastoral life was two millennia old. I was thinking of Conan Doyle's novel where explorers lost in the heart of South America discover on a plateau sealed by an impracticable cliff "a lost world", a world of the prehistoric era.

Then, at about ten o'clock, when the first bell of the High Mass struck, we entered the church of Saint-Colomban-des-Villars. What a surprise and what a bedazzlement!

The bright, melted colors that, fallen from a stained glass window, illuminated the slabs of an old nave by the great light of the great sun, seemed to have settled on the heads and shoulders of the peasant women and children who filled the church.

But these colors had an unknown consistency, as they were those of headdresses, shawls, hats and glittering jewels.

The church was really flaming with colors; the beguines of the children, the shawls with the long fringes of the peasant women, the glittering fabrics, the chains of the corsages, all shone, all sang to the eyes.

By what miracle, in this village of St-Colombans, in all this region of Arves, less than 20 kilometers from the great railroad from Paris to Modane, near the industrialized Maurienne, this vestige bursting of the ancient peasant civilization has it subsisted; how is it that these audacious colors, these costumes of an almost aggressive archaism, are not tarnished by the smoke of the nearby factories?

It cannot be explained.

What I know is that in this evening, a Sunday in July, fourteen years ago, I felt with an unforgettable intensity, all that was originality, cheerfulness, flavour and lifeblood of the rustic art of the past, and all that rural France has lost by losing it.

And it is to fix the memory of this past that will soon die, that these notes were written.

Philippe de Las Cases, L'Art Rustique en France - Dauphiné et Savoie, 1930 (8)

26th August 2018 - Regional jewellery - North - Pas de Calais - n°134

There is an interesting variety of the pardon cross, examples of which are found exclusively in Belgium, though they are sometimes marked with French hallmarks. The reason is that some of them were made in Belgium during the time it was occupied by France between 1793 and 1815.

Belgian pardon crosses in gold with French rooster's head hallmarks on one, Belgian hallmark from 1770 on the other

24th August 2018 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°133

Biface cross in gold plated silver

Jeannette cross from Savoy in gold with a close-up of the Sardinian hallmark

croix Jeannette savoyarde avec coulant, argent

silver Jeannette cross from Savoy with a slide from the Val d'Arly

Flat cross from Savoy, gold

flowered cross from Savoy in gold, recto

flowered cross from Savoy in gold, verso

Bessans cross or "As cross" in silver, Turin

23 August 2018 - Regional jewellery, Provence - n°132

croix fleurie de Nice en or, recto, verso

20th August 2018 - Regional jewellery - Savoy - n°131

Large Villards grille cross in silver with its original beaded ribbon

20th August 2018 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°130

"serre-malice" head-band in brass - photo Musée régional d'Auvergne in Riom

6 August 2018 - Publication - n°129

Livre sur le grenat de Perpginanor

Laurent de Fonquernie has published a new book on the history of the garnet. You can pre-order the book for €22 instead of €27 and you can coillect it from me in Paris to economise €5 postage. Laurent and two other collectors, Michel and Stéphane will be with me next week when the Museum of the Desert opens its showcases so that we can examine and photographe their incredible collection of Huguenote crosses.

http://www.institutdugrenat.com/2018/07/bon-de-souscription-pour-le-nouvel-opus-de-laurent-fonquernie-sur-lhistoire-du-bijou-en-grenat/

http://www.institutdugrenat.com/2018/07/un-artisanat-en-partage-le-grenat-de-perpignan-une-exposition-a-ne-pas-manquer/

29th July 2018 - The war years - n°115

75mm cannon pendant, 1914 - 1918, gold

29th July 2018 - Regional Jewellery - Pyrenees - n°114

silver belt clip and mother-of-pearl drinking cup "Souvenir de Lourdes"

16th July 2018 - Regional Jewellery - Provence - n°113

The church of Our Lady of Mercy at Martigues. The jewels which had been draped on the statue of Mary by grateful pilgrims have now been deposited at the Ziem museum in Martigues

27th June 2018 - Regional Jewellery - Savoy - n°112

Large Villards grille cross in silver with its original beaded ribbon

Large Villards grille cross in silver - "Souvenir d'alliance Marie Philomène Tronel née Molaret"

22nd June 2018 - Regional Jewellery - Normandy - n°111

collier d'esclavage or slave collar

18th June 2018 - Regional Jewellery - Savoy - n°110

Jeannette cross with enamelled plaque, gold

18th June 2018 - The jewels of the French - chains and necklaces - n°109

Roman gold and emerald necklace

Roman gold necklace

18th June 2018 - Regional jewellery - North - Pas de Calais region - n°109

The coal miners in the north of France were particularly fond of these steel cases which they used to protect their silver pocket watches
from damage while working. While not strictly speaking regional jewellery, 95% of these watches were offered to me in the north of France.
This particular example has been painted with phosphorescent paint so that the time can be determined in the dark.

18th June 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandy - n°108

Rare Rouen cross made in gold-plated brass. Very few gold plated crosses have survived

4th June 2018 - Regional jewellery - Auvergne - n°107

silver pendant from Notre Dame du Puy en Velay

long chain with flat links typical of the Auvergne region - 1798-1809

4th June 2018 - Engagement - n°106

18th century gold-plated snuff-box with motifs of cupid and fidelity

4th June 2018 - Regional jewellery - Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur - n°105

gold crosses from the region of Gap, French Alps

papillon cross in silver and diamonds

4th June 2018 - Regional jewellery - Normandy, n°104

Holy Spirit pendant, Normandy,
gold and Rhinestones

ensemble consisting of a Rouen cross with its slide and ear pendants, Normandy,
gold and Rhinestones 1798-1809

Yvetot cross in silver and Rhinestones

Yvetot necklace, silver and Rhinestones

busquière in silver, recto-verso

coiffe pins from Normandy

croix de Saint Lô in silver and Rhinestones

4th June 2018 - Regional jewellery - Brittany, n°103

silver "Jeannette" cross from Brittany with its sequin spangled velvet ribbon

29th April 2018 - Regional jewellery - Nord, Pas de Calais, n°102

"Turquoise" ring in gold, set with blue glass imitating turquoises and seed pearls (some missing)

29th April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur n°101

large provençal clavier entirely hand-engraved
note the extra loop on the back part used to attach it to the skirt with a few stitches

12th April 2018 - Regional jewellery / North - Pas de Calais n°100

18th century Portel or pardon cross, gold
Note the three pendants, representing the tears of Christ

12th April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Centre, Val de Loire n°99

Vendee ring "à l'anglaise" in gold and glass

12th April 2018 - Regional jewellery /introduction n°98

Most collectors of French regional jewels content themselves with amassing as many objects as quickly as possible, often neglecting to research their subject sufficiently. Some take the time to find and consult the various references available and some even do some original research of their own. Regrettably, some of the latter jealously keep their findings to themselves. Where would we be today if the pioneers of science, medicine, physics and engineering had kept their discoveries to themselves rather than sharing them with the world? This site exists to share freely as much as is known about French regional jewellery as possible and I thank the rare collectors who regularly keep me informed of the results of their research and send me photos of their collections and finds. I encourage other collectors to do the same, and give back to this hobby a part of what it has given to you.

4th April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Provence n°97

clavier provençal in silver

4th April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Aquitaine n°96

Holy Sprit pendant from Béarn in gold filigree set with a a Rhinestone

4th April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Savoy n°95

large Villards grille cross in silver

selection of Savoy silver sliders

2nd April 2018 - Marriage n°94

marriage treizain complete with its silver
box and 13 gilt silver bracteates, circa 1750
Stamped " ESPOVSER"

2nd April 2018 - Regional jewellery / North / Pas de Calais region n°93

small ear pendants from Courgain (a suburb of Calais) in gold and blue enamel

2nd April 2018 - 50th wedding anniversary n°92

50th wedding anniversary medal in bronze

1st April 2018 - The jewels of the French / Huguenote crosses n°91

1st April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Auvergne n°90

1st April 2018 - Regional jewellery / Lorraine n°89

30th March 2018 - The jewels of the French / other objets n°88

Art nouveau thimble in gold

30th March 2018 - Regional Jewellery / Auvergne n°87

Auvergne cross on chains in gold with enamel

30th March 2018 - Regional Jewellery / Burgundy n°86

"slave necklace" from Burgundy in gold, enamel and Rhinestones

29th March 2018 - Regional Jewellery / Champagne n°85

very old regional cross, worn in the Champagne region

26 March 2018 - Regional jewellery / Centre - Vale-de-Loire n°84

croix du Val-de-Loire en argent, poinconné à Blois

17th February 2018 - Regional Jewellery / Occitanie n°83

Narbonne traditional costume and cross

15th February 2018 - Sentimental jewellery n°82

Gold pendant set with a finely carved scene in wax behind glass on a background of woven hair.
The scene depicts Cupid extending a rope woven with love knots to Saturn. Circa 1830.
While the workmanship is extraordinary, it would have been even more so had it really been in ivory as announced in the auction catalogue......

3rd February 2018 - The Jewels of the French / Brooches n°81

Vendetta brooch from Corsica with a steel stiletto inscribed "Vendetta Corse".
Gold and Tiger Eye, perhaps the only Corsican regional jewel.

3rd February 2018 - Regional jewellery / Brittany n°80

Pardon fibula in silvered brass and glass beads
The beads spell out the letters V.H.V (Vive Henri V) or Long live Henry V, and was worn by a supporter of Henry the Fifth, pretender to the French throne around 1879.

3rd February 2018 - Regional jewellery / Aquitaine n°79

Filigree Holy Spirit cross in gold from the Ossau Valley, sewn on black velvet

2nd February 2018 - Regional jewellery / Auvergne n°78

Other rings from Auvergne

chalice ring in enamelled gold

enamelled Pansy ring

chalice ring in enamelled gold

distinctive necklace or bracelet catches from Auvergne

28th January 2018 - Regional jewellery / Aquitaine n°77

two necklaces from the Béarn valleys

28th January 2018 - Regional jewellery / Occitanie n°76

Narbonne cross in gold (agrandie 150%)

6th January 2018 - Engagement n°75

Men's enagement ring with pansy motif, enamelled gold

6th January 2018 - Regional jewellery /North - Pas de Calais n°74

An integral part of the regional costume of the women of the Northern coast was the "sorcière" chain. Very long and made in different links and weights according the means of the buyer, it was closed with a barrel-shaped catch.

Catch of a sorcière chain in gold

6th January 2018 - Regional jewellery /Limousin n°73

modern pendant in gold and Limoges enamel

2nd January 2018 - Regional jewellery / Aquitaine n°72

Filigree Holy Spirit cross in gold and rolled gold from the Ossau Valley

1st November 2017 - Regional jewellery / North n°71

French folk costume with very long
ear pendants and soleil coiffe - Boulogne-sur-Mer - antique photo

30th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Provence n°70

papillon cross in silver and diamonds

18th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Savoy n°69

Jeannette cross from Savoy, gold

15th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Brittany n°69

silver reliquary cross, front

silver reliquary cross, open

silver reliquary cross, back

15th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Savoy n°68

flat cross from Savoy with Sardinian and Chambéry hallmarks

15th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Loire n°67

Jeannette cross with pendants, Anjou region, gold

15th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Brittany n°66

gold cross from Brittany, front

gold cross from Brittany, back

15th October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Provence n°65

plat pattée cross from Nice, gold

15th October 2017 - Rings n°64

Royalist ring with the legend Fidelité - Esperance and the portrait of Henry V, the count of Chambord, pretender to the French throne

15th October 2017 - Engagement n°63

faith ring (bague de foi) gold. note how the hands on each side of the heart have evolved into mere lines

15th October 2017 - Marriage n°62

bague en or en trois parties ouvrant pour reveler un coeur, moderne

antique gimmel ring in gold made of three hinged rings which slide open to reveal a heart

15th October 2017 - Crosses 3, n°61

flat cross, gold

Savoy créole earrings, gold

gold Jeannette cross from Savoy with a slide from the Val d'Arly

15th October 2017 - The jewels of the French / Museums and Exhibitions n°60

silver gilt cross from Salamanca, Spain

1st October 2017 - Regional jewellery / Provence n°59

large devote or Jeannette cross from Arles in gold, silver and diamonds with its long chain and diamond catch

16th September 2017 - Regional jewellery / Savoy n° 58

earrings and ear pendants

13th September 2017 - Regional jewellery / Savoy n° 57

Valloire cross, Savoy

10th September 2017 - Regional jewellery / Provence -Alpes - Côte d'Azur n° 56

Maintenon cross

5th September 2017 - Regional jewellery / Poitou - n°55

costume de Niort - antique pastel

5th September 2017 - Regional jewellery / Poitou n°54

Silver shirt buttons, generally used to close the neck of the shirt

31st August 2017 - Regional jewellery / Pas de Calais n°53

large ear pendants called "Les Monstreuses", gold, 94 x 22mm, 8.9g

5th August 2017 - Regional jewellery / Normandy - other jewellery n°52

long pendant ear-rings and coiffe worn around Cambremer, Normandy, circa 1830

4th august 2017 - Marriage n°51

silver loving cup or wedding cup from Brittany circa 1716-1717

30th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Occitanie n°50

Le mot badine signifie que la partie inférieure de la croix est mouvante. Dans le Dictionnaire de l’Académie François de 1814 on lit : ‘En parlant d’Ajustemens et d’ornemens, on dit qu’ils badinent pour dire qu’ils voltigent. Il ne faut pas que cette dentelle soit si tendue il faut qu’elle badine. Cette draperie badine agréablement.'

30th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Normandy - crosses n°49

ensemble consisting of a Rouen cross with its slide and ear pendants, Normandie, gold and Rhinestones 1819-1838

29th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Normandy - necklaces 48

'esclavage' (slave) necklace, Normandy, gold and enamel, 1809-1819
motif of a dog, to symbolise faithfulness before two burning hearts on an altar

detail of the central plaque

detail of the catch

detail of a side plaque

'esclavage' (slave) necklace, Normandy, gold and enamel, Rouen 1809-1819
motif of two doves, a popular marriage symbol
click on the photos to enlarge them in high resolution

detail of the central plaque

29th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Auvergne 47

Holy Spirit pendant, gold, silver and glass

29th July 2017 - The jewels of the French / Protestant jewellery and crosses - 46

Holy Spritit pendant in brass, 18th-century

28th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Provence - Alpes - 45

antique "coulas" bracelet in silver - front, back and close-up

15th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Auvergne - 44

"serre-malice" head band

14th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Normandy - other jewels - 43

pair of busquières in silver

14th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Brittany - 42

silver reliquary cross, front

silver reliquary cross, open

silver reliquary cross, back

14th July 2017 - Baptism - 41

Ecotée cross in ivory for use during the christening ceremony and placing over the crib.
The workmanship of this cross is astonishing - imagine the effort required to sculpt and polish it all the while leaving the raised knots intact......
Gold écotée crosses are typical of the Limousin region, I don't know if the same is true of crib crosses as this is the first I've seen.

14th July 2017 - Engagement - 40

Silver châtelaine plated with three colours of gold and decorated with a basket of flowers, a flaming torch and a quiver of arrows
Offered as a love token for an engagement or wedding present, collected in Normandy.

Flowers have always been popular motifs for love tokens and there is an antique verb "fleureter" which comes from "fleurette". The old dictionaries give the following definition : Fleurette, a little compliment where the flowers are both the pretexte and the terms of comparison. A shame that this lovely word has been lost and replaced by the English derivative flirt.......

9th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur - n°39

antique "coulas" bracelet in silver

9th July 2017 - The jewels of the French / other objects - n°38

seal in silver gilt and agate

18th-century snuff box in gold set with a portrait miniature behind glass

18th-century snuff boxes in gold

18th-century snuff box in gold. So often used by its owner that the corners wore away and had to be reinforced with solder.

9th July 2017 - The jewels of the French / crosses 3 - n°37

Portuguese reliquary cross in gold and diamonds

9th July 2017 - Sentimental jewellery - n°36

sentimental ring in gold with a monogram made in hair set behind glass

gold pendant with a portait miniature and hair behind glass at the rear, a sentimental jewel

9th July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Auvergne - n°35

rose of Velay pendant with its chain, gold and glass

The Rose of Velay pendant is a traditional jewel from Le Puy en Velay, where it is still worn today. It is set with one or two circles of stones, which are either in glass or garnets, the design of the goldwork between the stones varies between jewels but the basic design is characteristic.

1st July 2017 - Regional jewellery / Poitou - n°34

Silver Guimbarde fibule brooch, 1809-1819

13th June 2017 - Regional jewellery / Normandy crosses - n°33

bosse cross in gold- Caen 1762-1768

10th June 2017 - Mourning and friendship jewellery - n°32

cross in gold and hair

10th June 2017 - The jewels of the French / other objects - n°31

busquière in silver and Rhinestones which has been converted into a Chatelaine with three cupro-nickel chains

23rd May 2017 - Regional jewellery / Brittany - n°30

Bourg en Batz reliquary cross in silver gilt

The Bourg en Batz cross can be recognised by its design of engraved triangles, the hanging spheres ending with a visible loop in the wire and the representation of Mary with clasped hands under a canopy. The example shown above is a reliquary cross which opens to reveal compartments to hold relics.

reliquary cross in silver, front view

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