A CARNELIAN AND GOLD BRACELET, BY GEORGES LENFANT, CIRCA 1955 Composed of fancy polished gold links interspersed by carnelian sugarloaves, mounted in 18K gold, with maker's mark 'GL' for Georges Lenfant, French assay marks, length 20.3cm Georges Lenfant was born into the world of French jewellery design and he quickly became a master of his trade. Growing up, he undertook several apprenticeships before studying jewellery in Paris and abroad. In 1900, Georges set up his own workshop at 47 rue des Petits-Champs, minutes away from his patrons at the Place Vendome and Rue de la Paix. He was well established by 1903 and was listed in a publication of the Revue de la Bijouterie, Joaillerie, Orfevrerie of that year. His creative designs and flawless execution put him in demand with the larger jewellery houses and, in a bid not to be forgotten behind infamous names such as Cartier, Mellerio dits Meller and Van Cleef & Arpels, Georges established a maker’s mark in 1909 and proceeded to stamp each piece before it lefts his workshop. In 1915, Georges was joined in the firm by his son Jacques who, at the age of just eleven, was eager to learn the art of jewellery. Neither Georges nor Jacques shied away from collaboration and the Georges Lenfant company had been working with Sandoz for many years when, in 1927, Gustave-Roger Sandoz sold his business to Georges under the condition that his son, Gerard Sandoz, remained as artistic director. Between them, they created striking examples of Art Moderne jewellery, their work infused with bold lines, bright colours and contrasting shapes. Following the end of WWII, Lenfant took over Verger Freres. This heralded a new collaboration with Vacheron Constantin, who had been working with Verger Freres for some time. Constantin and Lenfant busied themselves with watch design and, together, they created pieces for Hermes. In 2003, Georges Lenfant was bought by Bouder and ceased to operate. However, pieces bearing the Lenfant mark continue to prove popular, their numerous collaborations meaning that there is a design to suit everyone.