AMETHYSTS IN THE HEDGEROWS

Within my reach (Almost)
EMILY DICKINSON

Within my reach!

I could have touched!

I might have chanced that way!

Soft sauntered through the village,

Sauntered as soft away!

So unsuspected violets

Within the fields lie low;

Too late for striving fingers

That passed, an hour ago.

Gustav Manz violet ring with sapphire and two diamonds 
made for his daughter Helen, circa 1916
Private collection 

During her reign, Queen Victoria's favorite violet sold by the pint in Covent Garden. Some of our favorite posies are pressed into the pages of Gustav Manz's business ledger—among them, his design for an amethyst ring composed of two diamond-studded johnny jump ups with heart-shaped leaves and narrow stems running along the shank. 

Manz rendering for a gold, amethyst, and diamond violet ring purchased in 1920 by Manhattan gem dealer C.G. Bernhardt. Revelers in ancient Greece drank from carved amethyst cups, believing the purple stone warded off hangovers. 

Although he took on some commissioned work for private clients, Manz did not mark the pieces he and several bench artisans produced for his wholesale accounts. But ledgers record more than a dozen iterations of his violet design sold to Shreve, Crump & Low and Tiffany & Co and other prestigious merchants between 1910 and 1925.

Gold and diamond Violet Brooch 
Gustav Manz, circa 1910

Private collection

Several of Manz's floral rings went to family members. His mother-in-law, Sophie Bachem, widow of a diamond ring manufacturer, chose a signet version of the violet engraved with her initials and a pale-blue gem winking at the center of each flower. A niece received a ring of gold iris spears cradling a black opal. A ring with faceted sapphire surrounded by diamond-set violets was the jeweler's Christmas gift to his daughter Helen in 1922 (though her birth month was November). As poet Kate Greenaway said of Shakespeare: "The spring flowers in his hands are nearly as beautiful as themselves."

_____________________________ 
Notes

A violet pendant cast from Manz's original may be purchased at gustavmanz.com

Quote from Kate Greenaway letter to John Ruskin, 1896, in Kate Greenaway by M.H. Spielmann and G.S. Layard published by Adam and Charles Black, London, 1905

The phrase "amethysts in the hedgerows" was coined by French herbalist Maurice Messegue

Gustav Manz Violet Brooch seen above was exhibited in "Finer Things: Jewelry and Accessories from the 1880s-1930s" curated by Elise Zorn Karlin at Stan Hywet Museum in Akron, OH, April 2012-October 2012; photos not otherwise marked should be credited Gustav Manz LLC

_________________________________________

We welcome your comments and invite you to follow Gustav Manz on Facebook and Instagram.  

Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved 
Gustav Manz LLC

LOOK BOOK: HOW TO SPOT JEWELRY BY GUSTAV MANZ

ASJH NEWSLETTER, SUMMER 2011

On April 7, 2011, The American Society of Jewelry Historians invited Courtney Bowers-Marhev to speak to members about the jewelry of Gustav Manz, whose work she first encountered as a graduate student in Parsons-Cooper Hewitt's Masters Program in the History of Decorative Arts. Estate jewelry expert Diana Singer subsequently provided highlights from Bowers-Marhev's slideshow in the ASJH summer newsletter, along with some tips for Manz spotting:

"....It is important to note that, in those days—unlike today, where the designer/manufacturer often aggressively courts and markets directly to the consumer—it was unthinkable for the skilled wholesaler to directly approach the retail client unless specifically invited to do so. Prominent retail stores such as those previously named often sold pieces made by Gustav Manz, and marked them as their own works. Only someone familiar with his inimitable style would have any idea he was the genius responsible for the jewel, and not the retail establishment. What, then, are the characteristics of Gustav Manz's style, and how does the trained eye recognize it? The roots of Manz's style lay firmly in the Art Nouveau movement, replete with animal motifs, valutes, foliate motifs, and often Gothic or eastern motifs. All were highly detailed and sculptured, often steeped in the sensualism reminiscent of Auguste Rodin's sculptures. Animals and the figures pulse with volume and life, as if springing out from the jewel. A favorite subject used in many instances was that of the panther, a motif that became well-known in the hands of Cartier's Jeanne Toussaint. Animal pins were a major part of his design sensibility; the claws found on the dragons, panthers, and lions are highly articulated and full of strength. Spectacularly ornate and rendered wings adorn the birds of prey, dragons, and peacocks. Plant life, including leaves, branches, lily pads, and lotuses all have deeply modeled and etched surfaces. Charming dog pins and stickpins were a part of the entourage as well, with the finely chased surfaces often set with tiny diamonds. In addition, Egyptian motifs figured prominently in his designs, many of which were retailed by Tiffany & Co. in the 1920s. Eastern motifs were explored in the 1920s as well, some of which included dragons, pagodas, and serene Buddhas..." 

Images from Bowers-Marhev's slideshow and private collections:

Manz stockbook entry for a panther and snake ring with a star sapphire, sold to Moore & Mason in May, 1925 (Winterthur); Manz's panther and snake designs were exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Eighth Annual Industrial Art show 

Photo (c) Gustav Manz LLC

A panther and snake ring, circa 1910. Unsigned, attributed to Gustav Manz; Manz's design book also features tigers and lions in crouching poses or emerging from fronds of savannah grass

Image courtesy Skinner Inc. 

Gustav Manz costbook sketch for a "Gold Star Sapphire Sphinx Ring" 
sold to Marcus & Company, in June 1916. 

A variation on the Egyptian-inspired jewelry Manz created for the St. Louis Exposition in 1904 (below), his sphinx and pyramid mounting attracted orders from T. Kirkpatrick, Brand Chatillon, Bailey Banks & Biddle and others

Winterthur Library

Manz stockbook record for "fancy sapps + gold grape broche" sold to Tiffany & Company, November 1922 

Manz stockbook, Winterthur Library

Gold grapevine cuff set with colored stones by Gustav Manz

 for Tiffany & Company

 Private collection

Buddha ring settings by Gustav Manz, c 1923 

Sold to Tiffany & Co. and Shreve, 

Crump & Low

Manz stockbook, Winterthur Library

Jade, enamel, and ruby Buddha earring, ca 1920s

Designed and manufactured by Gustav Manz 
Private collection 

Photo (c) Gustav Manz LLC

_________________________________________

Copyright ©  2014 
All Rights Reserved 

 GUSTAV MANZ LLC

__________________________________________

For details on upcoming ASJH events, contact Meg Selig at info@jewelryhistorians.org