Henri Vever (1854-1942)Henri Vever was a man of many facets. Master jeweler, gifted painter, passionate art collector, author and historian, he is best known today as the author of la Bijouterie française au XIXème siècle, his superb three-volume history of his beloved profession, written between 1906 and 1908. Even now, nearly a century later, this wonderful book is still recognized as the definitive work on its subject.Henri Vever was the third generation in a highly respected family of jewelers and goldsmiths founded in 1821 in Metz on the Franco-German border. After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, the Vever family fled its native city to Paris where Henri?s father bought the business of the famous gem-set jeweler, Gustave Baugrand, who had died during the Prussian siege of the city.Henri and his brother Paul took over the business from their father in 1881, but it was Henri?s artistic talent which made the name Vever famous.Vever?s own jewelry style was very rich. He worked extensively in the Art Nouveau idiom, but unlike Lalique and many other Art Nouveau jewelers, Vever strongly preferred precious stones, as is evident in this jewel, lot #281.Dr. Brenda FormanEditor and Translator of the forthcoming English edition ofla Bijouterie française au XIXème siècleFrench Jewelry in the 19th Century