Remember When Showcases Mid-century Modernist Canadian Artisans Although many fine Canadian designers and artists were creating unusual and interesting
jewelry during the period of 1960s to the 1980s, their work had not been popular in the United States until re
News-Antique.com - Oct 15,2011 - Although many fine Canadian designers and artists were creating unusual and interesting
jewelry during the period of 1960s to the 1980s, their work had not been popular in the United States until recently. Working in non-precious materials, Canadian artists Rafael, Larin, de Passille-Sylvestre, and the Perriers created their jewelry in brass, copper, silver and enamel and is showcased now at Remember When Vintage Jewelry.
As more people discover these talented artists' work, it is becoming increasingly more desirable and prices are beginning to reflect this. Some of the more popular of the Canadian artists are:
Rafael Alfandary, who started making his Arts & Crafts kinetic jewelry in Toronto in the 1970-1980s. His work used simple materials, mostly of hammered brass or copper,
with bezel-set natural stones or, more often, glass cabochons
Rafael Alfandary created jewelry for many celebrities including, Liberace, Muhammad Ali, and Margaret Trudeau wore one of his necklaces to the opening of Parliament.
Robert Larin, working in Montreal during the 1960s and 70s, created pieces that were made of pewter cast by the lost wax process, and then hand-finished to remove any rough surfaces. The piece was then oxidized, or plated with silver or gold and then polished. Larin's most familiar designs are his biomorphic, heavily textured designs in bracelets and necklaces. Post-modernist and Brutal designs are most in demand today.
Gilles (Giles) Vidal also worked in Montreal in the 60s and 70s and, like Larin, work in pewter, also using the lost wax process. Although similar in design, Vidal's creations have a more elegant feel and are currently more in demand. Vidal has won many prizes in a number of prestigious Canadian exhibitions for his exceptional designs. Hi work is listed in the Guide des Artisan Createures in Quebec.
Both Larin's and Vidal's jewelry resemble some of the Scandinavian jewelry from earlier in the 20th century.
Jean-Luc Morin, another Quebec designer, working in mostly stainless steel and pewter,
created highly dimensional, architectual, and intriguing designs, unlike any other. Jean-Luc Morin's work is listed in the Guide des Artisan Createures in Quebec, and shown only at Remember When Vintage online shop
The team of Morley-Crimi worked in both copper and pewter, creating naturalist jewelry in the Arts & Crafts tradion, mostly in the 1950s. Morley and Kim Crimi were excellent copper
smiths and their combination of crimping and coils created a unique style.
Quite different the previous artists, the enamelist the team of Micheline de Passille and Yves Sylvestre, working in Quebec in the 1960s, created highly sophisticated enameled, naturalist designs, with their earlier work hand signed de Passille-Sylvestre. This talented couple created their enamel jewelry with either silver- or gold-plated metal framing the enamel work. Their later work was stamped on the back.
There are some wonderful enamel on copper pieces, signed with a number of different Perrier signatures: Claude, Jules, or Robert Perrier, mostly abstract designs, characterized by the wonderful depth of the colors used in their designs. The Perriers worked out of Quebec from around
