Description

For more than 40 years, Parisian jeweller Lydia Courteille has been confounding the Place Vendome jewellery houses with her bold and brazen designs. Her unique and avant-garde style is legendary. Her collections spark the senses. In this impassioned new biography, Juliet Weir-de la Rochefoucauld takes us on a voyage around the world, sharing the stunning locations and famous women from whom Courteille draws inspiration. In the disposable world of 21st century consumerism, amidst the monotony of marketing algorithms and ceaseless production lines, Lydia Courteille has forged her own creative path, refusing to let the individuality of her work slip from her fingers. Her jewels crystalise memories, honour the dead, make powerful social statements, poke fun at modern absurdities, and transport us to the other side of the planet. Guided by an acclaimed author and jewellery expert, this colourful monograph renders her odysseys of creation and discovery in stunning visual detail. AUTHOR: A Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem A), Juliet Weir-de La Rochefoucauld began her career at Sotheby’s & Co., London. Based in France, she is also the author of 21st-Century Jewellery Designers: An Inspired Style (Antique Collectors’ Club, 2013), and Lydia Courteille, Extraordinary Jewellery of Imagination and Dreams (ACC Art Books, 2016). Juliet’s great-grandfather, Thomas Weir, founded the jewellers Weir & Sons in Dublin in 1869, a company that is still run by members of the family. SELLING POINTS: . The spectacular new biography of unique Parisian jeweller, Lydia Courteille . Charts Courteille’s voyages of creation and discovery . Includes the stories behind some of the most idiosyncratic jewels of the past 40 years . A celebration of the famous women who inspired Courteille’s life and work