Adam's FINE JEWELLERY & WATCHES 16 May 2023

T uesday 16 th M ay 2023 . S tarting at 4 pm 54 Kutchinsky is an admired, collectable, and highly respected brand whose 20th century pieces have been said to represent the interesting intersection of war and beauty. According to historian Mary Ann Wingfield, Hirsch Kutchinsky, having fled Poland with his son Morris and their family, founded the business on Commercial Road, London in 1893, girded with the experience of serving as jeweller to the court of Ludwig of Bavaria. By 1930 the business was well-respected and multigener- ational with Morris’ son Joseph working his way up, learning the importance of craftsmanship and customer service. Joseph quick- ly rose to head the firm’s production of platinum and diamond watches. His natural salesmanship, charisma, and seemingly end- less energy ensured the company’s continuing success. Joseph Kutchinsky married in 1940, just before he was called to serve in the Second World War. After his service, he returned to lead the family firm. Jewellery created by Kutchinsky during the late 1940s and the 1950s were striking and ostentatious, celebrating the end of war- time restrictions and the ability to once again have access to luxury items. Marquise and baguette diamonds adorned rings, bangles, brooches and earrings, many pieces also used beautiful gemstones and natural materials like coral and turquoise. Kutchinsky was es- pecially known at this time for their stone-cutting technique and for their oftentimes whimsical designs including animal and floral pieces. From 1960 to 1991 Sannit & Stein was the main workshop for Kutchinsky. This workshop, along with Joseph’s sons Paul and Roger Kutchinsky (who took over leadership in 1989), shared an obsession with Fabergé. This interest can clearly be seen in Kutchinsky’s employment of flashy designs and a mission to use only the highest quality materials. This obsession has become a cornerstone of the Kutchinsky story, inspiring Paul’s daughter Serena, a journalist, to write many articles about this era of the House’s history. London’s high society, as well as customers from as far afield as the Middle East, sought out the designs created by the House of Kutchinsky. The Middle East proved particularly lucrative, until the invasion of Kuwait and the war that followed. Kutchinsky jewellery at auction now distinguishes itself from a backdrop of mass-produced items. Its uniqueness is a leading fac- tor in the brand’s timeless and iconic status and has contributed significantly to the demand for and value of the jewellery. Lot 72 and Lot 73 certainly capture the lustre and magnificence expected from Kutchinsky. The repeating floral patterns in both diamonds and gold in Lot 72 exudes a celebration of nature and of the beautiful, glistening gems and gold that make up the piece. Similarly, Lot 73 centres the dynamism of diamonds and gold with a delicate and fanciful leaf motif while Lot 75 is both refined and playful with the use of onyx and coral. These pieces, which are from the 1960s and 1980s, are a wonderful example of the work of Kutchinsky from this time. They reflect the zeitgeist, as jewellery historian Alba Cappellieri explains, “This was indubi- tably the decade of art jewellery and experimental jewellery … making it instead a form of research of experimentation unlinked to manufacturing logics and marketing demands.”