Maingourd was founded in 1873 by Ulysse Leon Maingourd in Paris. His two sons, Francis and Charles, joined the company after studying law and design at the Ecole de Bijouterie et Joaillerie in Paris, and they relocated their shop to the Rue de la Paix. They opened further boutiques in Alencon, Dinard and Le Mans, focusing on the Easter and summer seasons.
LOT 64 | ATTRIBUTED TO MAINGOURD: A BELLE EPOQUE DIAMOND AND PEARL PENDANT/BROOCH, CIRCA 1915 | Sold for £16,380 incl premium
Charles worked as a designer for Garrard in London and after 1930 for Mellerio in Madrid. After Francis' death in the first World War, the Paris shop was closed and Charles kept only the Le Mans boutique until his own passing in 1954. Forty years later his descendants opened a new jewellery business of the same name in Oviedo, Spain.
Attributed to Maingourd, this Belle Epoque diamond and pearl pendant/brooch created circa 1915 is presented as a stylised openwork shell with a detachable pearl-set trace-link chain in fitted case by Maingourd, Paris Le Mans. This delicately formed piece was a highlight in our October 2022 Select Jewellery & Watches auction.
Lyon & Turnbull's team of jewellery specialists’ - including gemmologists Ruth Davis and Charlotte Peel - extensive knowledge and experience of the current market provides the essential combination for the successful sales of both modern and antique jewellery; from fine Edwardian and Victorian pearls, through classic diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds from the houses of Cartier, Boucheron, Bulgari and Tiffany, all the way to the outrageously decadent designs of Grima and the understated, elegant works of Jensen.
CHARLOTTE PEEL | HEAD OF JEWELLERY & SILVER, LONDON
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charlotte.peel@lyonandturnbull.com