Marchak gold diamond sapphire and ruby cherry brooch
Tax included.
An exquisite brooch in the shape of a cherry branch with leaves and fruits. The 18 K mount with a pear shape diamond, emeralds and bid natural rubies. Signed Marchak, Paris. Signed and numbered and in original box, 1960 c.a.
Particolare spilla in oro giallo 18 carati a forma di ramo di ciliegio. Il ramo in oro con diamante a goccia sorregge le foglie di smeraldi e tre ciliegie realizzate con rubini cabochon. Marchak, Parigi, 1960. Firmata e numerata. In scatola originale.
Born outside of Kiev, Joseph Marchak was apprenticed to a jeweler in 1868 at the age of 14. Within ten years he had opened his own shop and, within twenty, Marchak had gained international renown as one of the most important jewelers in the Russian Empire. Winning a medal at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and one in Antwerp in 1894, Marchak became known as the “Cartier of Kiev.” Unfortunately, Joseph Marchak died at the relatively young age of 64. With the Russian Revolution and the end of World War I, the Marchak family fled to Paris. Alexander Marchak opened a shop on the Rue de la Paix in 1920 where his fine quality and original designs gained fame. But business was once again interrupted by a World War and Marchak was forced to reinvent itself yet another time. After business began to recover from the effects of war, Alexander Diringer, who worked at Sterlé was brought aboard as the chief designer and remained so through the 1960’s. Jaques Verger became manager in 1958 and with the talents of Diringer and Degommier, assured success for Marchak. The craze for floral designs in the 1950’s was perfect for Marchak together with the birds and bugs that go along with the theme. Without a workshop of their own, pieces were produced by various other manufacturers, Marchack was free to follow its own muse. Their designers were instructed to “keep their eyes closed” when they passed the windows of other jewelers so as to preserve their unique style. Jacques Verger set out to win the American market. Turning on his notorious French charm, he took their collection to New York every fall, exhibiting privately in Fifth Avenue hotels. Marchak’s bold compositions captured the hearts of American women. The flamboyant rings created during this period with cabochons perched high atop richly jeweled galleries were the firms biggest success. Verger was known for bestowing precious objets on his clients: Jacqueline Kennedy received a black lacquer and gold desk set and Eisenhower shot rifles with richly decorated rifle butts by Marchak. Marchak was appointed jeweler to King Hassan II of Morocco through Verger’s relationship with the monarch. His Majesty liked to be in control of all aspects of the jewelry he commissioned, usually to bestow on other heads of state. Eastern culture was thus combined with French elegance to great success. Diringer retired in 1967 leaving Verger and Degommier to continue the Marchak name. In 1988 the Marchak boutique was sold to Daum and the Marchak identity was temporarily silenced. A grandson of Marchak is leading a contemporary revival of the name, with design teams being trained by Degommier and manufacturing being done by Cristofol, Paris. The grand opening in Paris on rue de Richelieu took place in April of 2005. The tradition of rejecting mass production continues ensuring a lively unique product for each customer.
from the book “Marchak, Marguerite de Cerval, Edition du Regard”
