Adam's FINE JEWELLERY & WATCHES 17th May 2022

The Byzantine sumptuousness of the last vestiges of theTsars can be found in the remarkable early work of Marchak , a jeweller for an empire that transformed to become a jeweller for a newmodern age. Born in 1854 to a Jewish-Ukrainian family in a Russia where serfdom was still legal and openly practiced, JosephAbramovich Marchak’s journey as a jeweller began early as he started apprenticing at age 14 for a jewelleryman- ufacturer in Kiev. Just ten years later in 1878, newlywed Marchak would take on the immense financial risk of starting his own jewellery business, us- ing his newwife’s dowry and selling any assets he had to achieve this dream. The gamble paid off within the decade, as Marchak’s fine attention to detail and craftmanship elevated his work up the ranks of the Russian nobility, in the last burst of opulence before revolution swept them all away. However, Marchak’s reach also spread overseas as he took advantage of the new ad- vances in travel to showcase his work, travelling first to Paris, then winning medals at both the ChicagoWorld’s Fair in 1893 and in theAntwerp Expo- sition Internationale d’Anvers in 1894, earning him the title of the‘Cartier of Kiev’, rival only to the renowned Fabergé. Marchak understood the importance of qualitymaterials and imported pre- cious metals, diamonds and gems from all over the world to create intricate pieces, including not only jewellery but also objet d’arts, such as silverware, cigarette cases, and decorated boxes. Marchak was named the official jew- eller for the Romanov’s tricentenary celebrations in 1913, creating, among many other items, a to-scale replica of the Kremlin in pure silver, which revealed a usable inkwell when the top dome was flipped back on its hinge. Sadly, many of these pieces would be lost with the outbreak of the Rus- sian Revolution in 1917. Joseph Marchak himself would die from cancer in 1918, and his family were forced to take whatever pieces they could carry and flee to Paris. In a post-WWI world,Alexander Marchak, the youngest Marchak son, set to revitalise the family business and opened a stylish andmodern showroom at 48, Rue Cambon. It was in partnership with the acclaimed jeweller Rob- ert Linzeler that Marchak would go on to create some of what are regarded as the most important pieces of the Art Déco period, using colour in the form of turquoises and corals to compliment the diamonds and platinum so beloved by the era.Together the pair won the Grand Prix at the Exposi- tion desArts Décoratifs, before Marchak once again went solo,winning the Grand Prix under his own name at the 1931 Colonial Exhibition. The Marchak brand once more proved itself a survivor as it continued to prosper throughoutWWII, deftly switching from platinum to the yellow gold that would define the 1940s and 50s. Marchak’s love of floral designs would stand to them in this period, with clusters of stones and diamonds sitting high on the fingers or sparkling at the lapel. In the post-war period, Marchak took on designerAlexander Diringer and JacquesVerger, himself a third-generation jeweller, to help bring new life into brand. In 1957, Alexander Marchak retired and officially handed the reigns over to Verger, who expanded the brand into America.Verger’s love of bright colours and natural forms ensured the Marchak’s popularity well into the 1960s and beyond, the luscious clusters of ruby berries and emerald foliage marking a break away from the French jewellery tradition the brand had adhered to up until then. A tradition Verger did continue was Marchak’s love object d’arts, gifting several pieces to notable Americans, including a black lacquer and gold desk set to Jackie Kennedy.Another traditionVerger continuedwas acting as the role of official jeweller to a royal court, this time to King Hassan II of Morocco. Ultimately,Verger would sell the Marchak brand in 1988 to Daum, thus temporarily ending the jewellery house that had survived a revolution and two world wars. However, a revival of Marchak came about in the 2000s with Daniel Marchak, a grandson ofAlexander, opening a new boutique in Paris in 2005. Marchak jewellery maintains a loyal following to this day and any piece of theirs is a hot item at any auction.To wear a piece of Marchak is to wear a piece of history.