I recently discovered these brooches online and fell in love with the sheer beauty of them. After doing a little research, I found that Raymond Yard was a self-made jewelry designer/artist in New York City during the early part of the twentieth century.
The Rockefellers, Fleischmanns, Flaglers, and Woolworths were among the wealthy and glamorous families Raymond Yard catered to in the early days. It was his friend, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who convinced Yard to open his own shop and Raymond C. Yard Inc. opened its doors on Fifth Avenue in 1922.
The quote below is taken from the following website: http://university.langantiques.com/index.php/Raymond_Yard_Inc. Click here to read and see more of his designs.
"Yard is noted for two original stylistic designs: the iconic anthropomorphic rabbits and the house brooches that debuted in the late twenties and early thirties. Featuring pavéd diamonds, calibré-cut gems and accents of enamel, these whimsical pieces were as always, gorgeously executed. The delightful rabbit brooches were created in a number of different themes. Among them are brides, anglers, yachtsmen and British Royal Guards but the most famous of all are the rabbit waiters. Dressed in stylish formalwear, they carried trays of cocktails, along with buckets of ice and bottles of champagne. The waiters first appeared in early 1929, near the height of prohibition; a chic, elegant and playful gesture of protest.
The first house brooch was introduced in 1932 and by the 1960s, well to do clients were bringing in photographs of their homes to be turned into exquisite jeweled replicas. The most elaborate of these was an astonishing reproduction of Cee Zee Guest’s lavish Villa Artemis in Palm Beach.
A distinguishing design feature of Yard jewelry was the extensive use of mixed-cut and single-cut diamonds in his pieces. Yard aimed for an overall luminous elegance rather than a sharp brilliance; a look that did not overwhelm the design. Although he followed the design motifs of the time, this technique distinguished his style from that of other well-known jewelry firms such as Tiffany & Co. and Cartier." Please click here to read more about Yard's designs.
Of course, he designed other beautiful jewelry, but I am only featuring the bunnies and houses here. I found a few pieces for sale at 1stdibs.com. Click here to see them with the brooches in the $3,000+ range and earrings in the $45,000 range.
Amazon has a beautiful book on his jewelry, as well. Click here
to check it out.
Emeralds, rubies, white diamonds, gold and enamel.
Platinum, gold, diamond and enamel house brooch
Gold roof, foliage of carved emeralds and sapphires
Cabochon and faceted rubies and single cut diamonds
1.20 carats - 1961
