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Jean Després Onyx and Gold "Machine Age" Ring Circa 1930-50

About the Item

An onyx and 18-karat gold geometrical design ring by Jean Després. c. 1930 - 1950. Signed Jean Després. 750 and maker’s mark for Jean Després. While Despres started off making jewelry in silver and had no particular interest in precious jewelry, he did use gold, and this ring is a fine example of the limited 18-karat gold rings Despres made during the 1940's and 1950s. Deprés (1889 - 1980) apprenticed with a goldsmith at age 16 and emerged over the Art Deco years as a significant jeweler who drew from diverse influences to shape his unique creations: his friendships with the most avant-garde artists of the time, including Georges Braque and Picasso; and, his experiences during WWI designing aircraft parts, using functional shapes and factory models. He became renowned as a jeweler (a true studio jeweler) who produced pieces featuring semi-precious stones and enamel to add color, in "machine age” settings of silver and gold. Despres’s jewels were worn by the literary, artistic, and celebrity elite, including Andre Malraux, Josephine Baker, and Andy Warhol, and reside in museums and various collections worldwide. The ring is a size 6.5 and can be resized.

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