Gérard

After many years working at Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Gérard established his own firm M. Gérard in 1968, opening his first boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Driven by a desire to create the most beautiful jewels in the world, Gérard is best known today for his exquisite necklaces, earrings and bracelets set with high quality diamonds and brightly coloured gemstones. Many of these were made by Atelier Vassort, a workshop he had likely encountered while working at Van Cleef & Arpels.

By the late 1970s, the firm had opened boutiques in Gstaad, London, Geneva, Cannes and Monaco. It had also become the largest exporter of fine jewels from France. In 1985, the company was bought by a group of American investors, but upon Louis Gérard’s retirement the firm closed. He later reopened under his own name at 16 Avenue Montaigne, launching a less exclusive line of jewellery suitable for everyday wear. The firm closed its doors for good in 1991.

Gérard’s pursuit of excellence has made him a favourite with style icons and jewellery collectors around the world. Today, M. Gérard jewels are prized by collectors at auction. His extravagant and luxurious designs set with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds or rubies represent his top prices at Christie’s.

In 2013, a magnificent pear-shaped diamond ring, weighing approximately 23.43 carats, fetched CHF 3,483,750 at Christie’s in Geneva, the highest price achieved at Christie’s by an M. Gérard jewel to date. The second highest price was achieved by a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings, which sold for CHF 1,617,000 at Christie’s Geneva in 2017. A dazzling pair of emerald earrings with diamond clusters and a ruby and diamond necklace with pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels also performed strongly at Christie’s. Also noteworthy is a pearl and diamond suite, which sold for $481,000 at Christie’s in 2008.