Sea Dragon Tiara
Sea Dragon tiara, 1900-1903, Georges Foquette/Etienne Tourrette - source
I came across this magnificent piece of jewelry not while specifically searching for tiaras but while on a side quest regarding other jewels (there may be a new page addition to the regular website in the works!). The first few images I found claimed this was a brooch but then I found it described as a tiara and found photos of it on what is clearly a tiara base. I'm sure it could also be worn as a brooch - it's not unusual for tiaras to either be entirely convertible or have convertible elements. Since he's articulated, it would be easy (ish) to arrange him so he could drape across a shoulder or maybe even to be worn at the waist like a pseudo-belt buckle.
It's been difficult finding out information on our sea dragon friend! He was created sometime between 1900-1903 and I've seen his creator listed as either Georges Fouquet or Etienne Tourrette. I think Fouquet must have been the jeweler and Tourrette, who worked for many jewellers of the era, was the craftsman who did the enamelling. I have no information at all on who the dragon was made for. Currently he is owned by Kazumi Arikawa, a jewellry art researcher, collector and former Buddhist monk.
Mr. Arikawa's story is almost as fascinating as the tiara! He grew up working in his mother's jewelry business, went to university, took a break mid-course to join a Buddhist temple, went back to complete his university degree and has since become a renowned jewelry art researcher and collector. His personal collection has over 500 historical jewel pieces, which he frequently loans out to museums and exhibitions. According to an article from the Financial Times (link below in the rabbit hole), "As a practising Buddhist, he always appreciated how his religion’s deities were adorned with jewels, and how mineral crystals represented the sacred geometry and order of the natural world..." The same article also states that tiaras are a particular passion of his. A man after my own heart!
- Kazumi Arikawa (Wikipedia)
- The world’s most beautiful private jewel collection – a first look (Financial Times) (archive link)
- Dazzling gems shine through time (The Korea Times)
- Etienne Tourrette, the greatest enameller of his time
- 5 naturalistic jewels of the Albion Art collection in the exhibition “Végétal” (The French Jewelry Post)
- Georges Fouquet, Jewelry Designer Extraordinaire (Antique Jewelry Investor)
- Georges Fouquet (Wikipedia)
- Information on Etienne Tourrette - Actually an auction page for a piece by Fouquet but it has information on Tourrette and an enamelling technique he created.
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