Paris, capitale de la perle = Paris, city of pearls: histoire d'une passion joaillière = a historical heyday for jewelry

Abstract

"How did Paris rise to the top of the global pearl trade one century ago? Why did such a thriving market disappear? And above all, how is it that there is no longer any memory of this golden age of pearls? In addition to unraveling this biomineral and its long history with mankind, this book shows how pearls inspired Paris jewelers and, more broadly, the city's artists. All seem indeed to have been driven by one same "pearl mania", and whatever their medium, be it opera, cinema, painting, photography, posters or illustrated magazines, all contributed to making pearls a visual icon of the Roaring Twenties"-- Back cover.

Contents

Orient de perles et perles d'Orient = Pearls and the East -- La conquête d'un marché = Conquering the market -- La perle, forme symbolique de la modernité = The pearl as a symbol of modernity -- Perlomanie parisienne = Pearl mania in Paris -- Les années sombres = The dark years -- Le commerce de la perle d'hier à aujourd'hui = The pearl trade from then to now.