A COLORED DIAMOND, DIAMOND AND EMERALD PHOENIX BIRD BROOCH, BY JULIUS COHEN

PROPERTY FORMERLY FROM THE ESTATE OF ROBERT L.B. TOBIN, SOLD TO BENEFIT THE TOBIN ENDOWMENT THE FANTASY OF THE PHOENIX (The new flight of the Jeweler's Art) Robert Lynn Batts Tobin was an aesthete and an inveterate collector, with collections reflecting his main interests in: stage design, opera, theater, art, architecture and books. He was a generous benefactor of the Metropolitan Opera, the MOMA, the Santa Fe Opera, McNay Art Museum and many other organizations. He had grown up surrounded by the sophisticated friends of his Mother, Margaret Batts Tobin, who entertained artists, academics and politicians. His mother introduced Mr. Tobin to Julius Cohen, who designing jewelry for Mrs. Tobin. Robert appreciated very early the style and creativity of Julius Cohen and became a regular client as well as a friend. Julius Cohen began his career in 1929 in his uncle's company, Oscar Heyman & Bros, learning the rudiments of the trade for thirteen years. He drew inspiration from the craftsmen at Oscar Heyman's, especially Adolph Hentschel, a designer from Germany who acted as his mentor. In 1942, he joined Harry Winston. In 1955, Julius Cohen went out on his own and opened his first Salon at 17 East 53rd Street in New York. Julius Cohen was one of the only creative jeweler in the 50's who consistently incorporated big diamonds into his pieces. When he acquired a pair of closely matched portrait canary diamonds (thinly cut diamonds with two large, flat tables) weighing a total of 20.55 carats, he thought about his client in Texas, who was always in search for unusual and beautiful stones. Mr. Tobin's imagination radiates from his extraordinary first sketches of a mythical phoenix bird, dated from October 3rd, 1957; Tobin found inspiration in archives of medieval drawings for the golden tree pedestal. Julius Cohen took those sketches; developed and improved the idea by a series of more detailed mechanical sketches. Then came the selection of each stone, the confection of the molds, the setting and realization of the Phoenix brooch, which was finished in August 1958. The brooch, in platinum and yellow gold, is set with the 2 canary portrait diamonds (20.55cts), 1 cinnamon-color briolette-shaped diamond (2.62cts), 111 pear-shaped and marquise-cut diamonds (10.34 cts.), 161 round brilliant diamonds (3.61 cts.), 20 marquise-cut canary diamonds (2.30 cts.), 52 round brilliant canary diamonds (2.86cts.), 38 emeralds (1.17cts.) and 2 small sapphires. Before being delivered to the client, as a present to Robert Tobin's mother, Julius Cohen had the brooch featured in a beautiful advertisement published by Harper's Bazaar in November 1958. The advertisement promoted the exceptional skills of his craftsmen and gave the public the opportunity to admire a unique piece of jewelry. The collaboration between Robert Tobin and Julius Cohen was a perfect combination of taste and exceptional craftsmanship. Sharing in history with celebrated ventures between famous patrons and their jewelers like that of Sarah Bernard and jeweler Georges Fouquet, for the famous Serpent Bracelet, Ms. Diana Vreeland and jeweler Jean Schlumberger for the spectacular trophy brooch and Mrs. Harkness with artist Salvador Dali for the amazing Etoile des Mers brooch; the Phoenix, bird of Paradise, is the perfect symbol of immortality and beauty.

Details

A COLORED DIAMOND, DIAMOND AND EMERALD PHOENIX BIRD BROOCH, BY JULIUS COHEN
Designed with table-cut colored diamond wings, pear-shaped near colorless diamond breast and vari-cut emeralds, colored diamond and diamond tail feathers, mounted in 18k yellow gold and platinum (accompanied by a detachable 18k gold tree stand) in a Julius Cohen fitted black leather case
Signed Julius Cohen (2)