Mr Geoffrey Munn, managing director of Wartski, London’s preeminent dealer in Fabergé and pre-Raphaelite cufflinks, has some startling things to say about the world of modern jewellery. Try this, “A gemstone is not a particularly interesting object. I don’t subscribe to D flawless and clarity and all that rubbish. That’s all about money really.” To someone like me, who’s grown up in an era that believes that Ms Marilyn Monroe was telling the truth when, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she sang Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, this is revolutionary talk.
It turns out that what interests Mr Munn about jewellery is its artistry, craftsmanship, romance and history. These are virtues that cufflinks from the long-defunct Victorian jeweller Child & Child have in spades. The firm, which had its base in London’s South Kensington (where a Child & Child monogram remains visible on what is now Thurloe Street) was established in 1880 by two bachelor brothers. The partnership lasted for 19 years, during which time it made jewellery for Queen Victoria, The Empress of Russia, the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, and the pre-raphaelite painter Sir Edward Burne-Jones. The painter was in the habit of taking his own designs to jewellers and asking them to make up the pieces for him.
The Burne-Jones-designed cufflinks in the photograph are made of green stained ivory, and are still in the artist’s family. “Child & Child were very impressed by Sir Burne-Jones,” explains Mr Munn. “It would be like a visit from Madonna now, somebody enormously famous. Sir Burne-Jones was very interested in bringing materials into jewellery that weren’t intrinsically valuable, but which were beautiful. Green stained ivory was so humble that it was used for the handles of dessert knives and forks.” Perhaps surprisingly heart-shaped cufflinks are rarely seen these days, but it was an almost inevitable choice of shape for Sir Burne-Jones. Mr Munn explains why, “The thing about the pre-Raphaelite movement [of which Sir Burne-Jones was a leading light] is that it was hopelessly romantic, they didn’t really write or paint about anything but romantic love. So these heart-shaped cufflinks, for Sir Burne-Jones, are absolutely in tune with a million other things he designed and made.”
It’s a shame to break into Mr Munn’s riveting and passionate exposition to ask about the practicalities of sourcing a pair of Child & Child cufflinks, but it must be done. “You’d be enormously lucky to find them just like that,” he warns. “I might never see another pair of green-stained ivory cufflinks in my lifetime. If they don’t have to be designed by Sir Burne-Jones then you probably could buy some Child & Child cufflinks.” Should you be lucky enough to find a pair the price range suggested by Mr Munn is “probably less” than £10,000 (about $16,000). Love, it seems, always comes at a price.
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2 comments:
Great cufflinks! I think that I'd prefer heart shapes in deep red cornelian and, in fact, I am so impressed that, despite the fact that I hardly need them, I do know someone who could make them very well.
Beautiful cuff-links, I hope any modern facsimiles would not use ivory!
Using unusual or, not particularly precious, polished minerals of all kinds seems to have been more common in the past. other-of-pearl too, I have a pair of links handed down to me with mother-of-pearl inlay.
I'm wondering why Wartski are "of Llandudno". Are they really from Llandudno? Wartski is an uncommon name for Wales!
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