Crown Trifari Invisibly-Set Poinsettia Brooch
United States
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A documented piece, offered by conversation.
- Maker
- CROWN TRIFARI
- Origin
- United States
- Era
- Alfred Philippe · Invisibly-set glass
- Condition
- Pre-owned - Excellent
- Provenance
- Invisibly-set ruby glass massed into a poinsettia of real dimension and presence — the technique only a handful of houses ever mastered, and Trifari’s answer to the great Paris jewelers. A showstopper by any measure, and a sentimental favorite among serious collectors.
On this piece
The poinsettia is the flower of the season, and Alfred Philippe made it the crown of Trifari’s most demanding craft. This is a masterpiece: a great ruby-red poinsettia rendered entirely in invisibly-set glass — each square stone grooved and slotted into a hidden framework so no prong ever shows, and the bloom reads as one seamless, glowing sheet of red. Invisible setting was the technique Cartier and Van Cleef pioneered in precious stones; that Trifari achieved it at this scale, on a flower this ambitious, is why the piece stands among the most prized the house ever made. The color is total, the surface unbroken, the effect almost unreal — a flower that looks lit from within. Signed Crown Trifari. This is the piece that shows exactly how high costume jewelry can reach when a master designer refuses every shortcut. A true masterwork, red as the season itself.