Biogenic gems are gemstones of biological origin, i.e. produced by living organisms. They includeamber, mother-of-pearl and pearl, coral, jet andivory. We would also like to addtortoiseshell, horn, hair and teeth to give you a broad overview of the organic materials found in antique jewellery.
Joseph Coomans, The jewellery box [Detail], Second half of 19th century, ?
Wonders of nature
Mother of pearl and pearl
Oyster with fine pearl, National Museum of Natural History © MNHN - F. Farges
Nacre is secreted under the shell within the soft parts of various molluscs and cephalopods. The resulting mucus is a mixture of organic matter and aragonite microcrystals which give the nacre its iridescence.
Art Deco medal Virgin on mother-of-pearl, gold and fine pearls
The fine pearl is made up of superimposed layers of mother-of-pearl. It is the gem of the June natives and we have devoted an article to it. We talk about fine and cultured pearls, but also about Cleopatra and the peregrine pearl. Something to liven up your dinners without dissolving your earring in a glass of vinegar! And if you didn't get the punchline, the article is still available.
Coral
Angel skin coral choker necklace
Coral is a colony-dwelling animal of the warm seas whose calcareous skeleton, once fossilised and associated with that of its fellow creatures, forms an underwater reef.
The colour of limestone coral varies from powder pink - it is then called "angel skin" - to blood red. It is these two extremes that are most sought after in antique jewellery. Coral has been widely known and used since antiquity, but it was particularly exploited under the two empires, especially in jewellery.
For example, the love for coral of Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest sister 1erThis attachment probably comes from his Corsican background, an island where coral is said to have many virtues. This attachment undoubtedly comes from his Corsican background, an island on which coral is said to have many virtues. There is so much to say on the subject that coral deserves an article of its own, we are working on it.
Antique gold and coral girandole earrings
As always with gemstones, some often historic origins are sexier than others. In this case it is Mediterranean coral. Fishing has existed since antiquity in France and Italy. After the First World War, the source moved to Asia (Japan, Indonesia) and the United States.
Finally, there is a variety of keratinous coral whose colour varies from black to golden to dark brown. Black coral, which was sought after in the 1920s, is nowadays very little represented in jewellery.
Wood and jet
In ancient times, forests were called "sacred woods" and were often regarded as temples haunted by the presence of the divine. The gods, for example, used them for their oracles. The belief persists in the expression "touch wood" to ward off bad luck. In jewellery making, wood was used from the 19th century onwards to create combs, which were very fashionable at the time.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels was the first to use wood and its wide range of shades. It brought the material back to the forefront after the First World War with its "Touch Wood" line. This collection was intended to appeal to a new, less wealthy clientele and perhaps also to compensate for the lack of materials after the war. Wood then fell into disuse again until the 1970s and the hippie movement to return to nature.
Antique rose gold and faceted jet balls sleepers
Jet is a fossil charcoal. It comes from plant clusters that are transformed into charcoal in a muddy environment and then compacted. Its appearance varies from waxy to glass-like. The main centre of production is England, and more precisely Yorkshire, which exports some of the most beautiful rocks in the world. But, if jet was already used by the ancient Romans for the manufacture of jewellery, its period of glory is above all the 19th century. Indeed, its colour, varying from intense black to dark brown, makes it a privileged raw material for the mourning jewellery. In addition to the UK, it is also found in Spain and Russia. And did you know? Jet has several characteristics in common with amber and is sometimes found in the same deposits.
Amber
Like jet, it is a stone of plant origin. Amber is a resin, secreted by conifers or flowering plants, fossilised at least a million years ago. It is found mainly on the Baltic coast: Germany, Poland, Russia, but also in Romania and the Dominican Republic. The origin of the name is a little unclear: it is said to come from the Arabic anbar from anabir meaning sperm whale because ambergris, used in perfumery, is a natural intestinal secretion of the animal that ate too many squids.
Antique rose gold and amber bracelet
If you are a member of generation Y, your first contact with amber was probably Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, released in 1993. In the film, a team of scientists manage to bring dinosaurs back to life thanks to the DNA of one of them taken from a mosquito enclosed in a piece of amber! The basic premise is not completely unrealistic: the stone often contains plant or insect inclusions that provide scientists with information on ancient animal and plant species that have sometimes disappeared. Rest assured: Even if a fanciful billionaire really wanted to create this park, it is not possible to bring dinosaurs back to life. Because yes, the question has been decided: DNA would deteriorate by half after 500 years. Another legend about amber is that it relieves toothache, which is why many babies still wear amber necklaces. We don't guarantee that buying our bracelet will prevent you from getting cavities again, but we don't have any evidence to the contrary either!
The scale
Victorian Red Salmon coral and tortoise shell tiara, hair pin, 19th Century
Between a marvel of nature and a hunting trophy, we confess that we were not sure in which part of the article to place the tortoise shell. The turtle, a lunar and aquatic feminine symbol, is the image of constancy, slowness, endurance and longevity.
The shell in jewellery comes from sea turtle shells, which, like horn or hair, is made of keratin. It is found mainly in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. The most sought-after is the hawksbill turtle, also known as the "hawksbill turtle". Indeed, its shell has been highly prized since antiquity because it offers a wide range of more or less translucent colours, from pale yellow to dark brown to amber. The latter is called blond scale and is the most prized.
The special feature of this material is that it is thermoplastic: malleable under the effect of heat, it grafts easily so that a repair is almost invisible.
Fetish jewellery
Ivory
Ivory is a hard, opaque substance found in the teeth and tusks of certain animals - elephants, for example. All civilisations, since prehistoric times, have used this precious material, a symbol of purity, wealth and softness, to fashion objects. In jewellery, ivory is often carved before being set.
Ivory, coral and tortoiseshell have been protected since 1975. Since 2016, the transport for commercial purposes, peddling, commercial use, offering for sale, sale or purchase of tusks and objects composed in whole or in part of ivory is prohibited in our country, except in certain specific cases (e.g. musical instruments) for which the trade remains highly regulated.
Bone is an interesting alternative for lovers of this creamy white material that can yellow or crack with time and care. To prevent your jewellery from becoming damaged, we provide you with here advice on how to care for your jewellery.
Italian school, Oriental dancer in bronze and ivory [Detail], sold at auction by Gros-Delettrez - © Gros-Delettrez Commissaires-Priseurs
Are you familiar with chryselephantine sculpture? The term derives from the Greek "chrysos" meaning golden and "elephantinos" meaning ivory. Originating from Antiquity and the Mediterranean basin, and involving several craftsmen, it is the ultimate in sculpture, the equivalent of the Tesla Model Excellence 24K, which represents the wealth of its owner. Originally, the statues were made in such a way that the gold could be removed in lean times. Much of the sculpture from antiquity has been dismantled, but chryselephantine sculpture is enjoying a revival during the art nouveau period.
The horn
Tiara comb, stars, turquoise and horn
Horn is made of keratin from the horn, nails or hooves of certain mammals. The 2016 regulation on ivory also applies to rhinoceros horn.
In ancient jewellery, horn had two golden ages: the First and Second Empire with the head jewellery whose teeth were often made of horn, as well as the art nouveau movement. Indeed, this movement inspired by nature gave pride of place to natural materials: amber, tortoise shell, fine pearls, and horn, therefore!
Art Nouveau gold and horn cross pendant, circa 1910
The teeth
In addition to elephant tusks made of ivory, animal or human teeth are also valuable talismans. Animal teeth were often worn as pendants in Roman times. These amulets were believed to have protective properties.
And then there is also a whole tradition of the alpha male mastering the animal kingdom and taking on its courage and strength in the process. Strangely, or not, the most common are the teeth of ferocious animals: sharks, tigers... Probably our history of "male" masculinity.
Shark tooth sailboat pendant on gold
The Queen Victoria also had a great impact on the fashion for tooth jewellery. She owned a set of deer tooth jewellery given to her by her husband, including a necklace. Each of the teeth on the necklace is engraved with the date the animal was killed, while the clasp is inscribed in a display of the Prince's virility: "All slaughtered by Albert".
But the queen also owned a whole collection of jewellery made from the baby teeth of her children, including a set of gold and enamel fuchsias decorated with the baby teeth of Princess Beatrice. The 19th century was also the century of sentimental jewellery, and it was during this period that jewellery made partly of human organic matter came to the fore, a sort of memento mori ("Remember that you are going to die") expressing the vanity of earthly life or as a token of love, as a means of keeping a loved one close to you in life and in death.
Antique Duchess gold, emerald, diamond and baby teeth ring
The hair
Hair is sometimes synonymous with power, and the story begins in the Old Testament with Samson who, true to his Nazarite vow, draws his strength from his mane. In love with Delilah, he ends up confiding his secret to the Philistine courtesan who puts him to sleep and shaves off his seven braids. It reminds us of a time more recent than most of our jewels, when thousands of women were shorn - we have made enough allusions to patriarchy not to reiterate our feminist convictions, but we think no less.
Gustave Moreau, Samson and Delilah [Detail], 1882, Paris, Musée Gustave Moreau.
The practice of hair jewellery dates back to the 18th century, when it was common to exchange locks as a symbol of love - often braided, these were put under glass and then mounted as jewellery. In France, the great vogue for hair jewellery took place before and after the Revolution. For example, the Carnavalet Museum in Paris has a medallion containing a lock of Marie Antoinette's hair. Later on, the fashion developed and bracelets were made of braided and twisted hair only.
Antique sentimental pendant, photo holder, enamelled, in pink gold, fine pearls and hair
Popularised by Queen Victoria (what an influencer) who testified to a close relationship between jewellery and the men in her life, hair jewellery can also be associated with remembrance and mourning. However, this custom remained fairly limited in time and was abandoned in the 1920s with the democratisation of photography.
Since 1975, some of these raw materials have been protected by the Washington Convention or CITES (International Trade in Endangered Species), which aims to prevent the illegal trade in endangered animal and plant species.
In keeping with our policy, we encourage you to extend the life of old jewellery by bringing it into your own rather than encouraging the creation of new pieces.
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