Glossary

L. PENIN A LYON

A French engraver and medallist from Lyon who worked in the late ninteenth and early 20th century.

LACLOCHE FRERES

The jewellery firm of Lacloche Frères was founded in 1875 in Madrid, Spain by a family of four brothers:  Fernand, Jacques, Jules and Leopold Lacloche.  In 1892 the firm moved to Paris, where they competed among the top jewellers, including Cartier, Mauboussin, and Van Cleef and Arpels. In the 1920s they became particularly known for their Art Deco nécessaires (jewelled vanity cases, powder compacts, lipstick holders, and various smoking accessories).

LALAOUNIS

The company founder, Illias Lalaounis, was born in Athens in 1920, son of four generations of goldsmiths and watchmakers. After studying economics, he joined the family firm to begin his training as a master craftsman.  He took control of the firm in 1941, and began to focus on ancient designs and techniques as inspiration for his modern jewellery.  In the 1960s he branched out on his own, forming the company as it is today, still focusing on an archaeological aesthetic, rendered primarily in gold.  Today the firm’s designs are recognized by prestigious institutions such as the Institute de France, Academie des Beaux Arts et des Lettres.

LAMBERT BROTHERS

Established as a New York family run business in 1877, Lambert Brothers jewelry specialised in fine quality jewellery, watches and gifts. Their craftsmanship and elegant jewellery designs were reknown during the Art Deco period with the use of diamonds and coloured gemstones of the highest quality. The business continued to be run by the Lambert family until it was sold to Zale Corporation of Dallas in 1977.

LAPIS LAZULI

Lapis lazuli is an opaque rock aggregate of intense cobalt blue colour which often displays irregular grains of golden pyrite or veins of white calcite. The name is derived from the Latin word for stone ‘lapis' and the word ‘lazuli' is the Persian name of the mine. Over time, the word ‘lazuli' has become synonymous with its colour, for example the English word ‘azure' meaning bright blue. Lapis lazuli is typically formed into beads, cabochons and colourful inlays.

Historically this stone was mined in Afghanistan as early as the 7^th century BC and featured in the jewellery of some of the earliest civilisations. Beads have been discovered at Mehrgarh, a Neolithic site in Pakistan; also at Shahr-e Sukhteh, a Bronze Age site in Iran; the Assyrians and Babylonians were known to have used lapis lazuli in jewellery; the Ancient Egyptians also worked it- for example one of the most iconic artefacts of the ancient world utilises lapis as the eye makeup on the funerary mask of King Tutankhamun. In the ancient world, lapis was prized to the same extent as other blue gems such as sapphires or turquoise and was transported from its remote mountainous mine location by merchant caravans.

Lapis lazuli is also famously known for being ground up as pigment for some of the most celebrated works of art ever created. This pigment, ultramarine, was the most expensive of all blue pigments and was used by Vermeer, Da Vinci and Titian but to name a few of the Old Masters. It was so expensive a pigment that the colour was often reserved only for the robes of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

View Lapis Lazuli pieces in our current collection

LATEN

Brass, a mixture of copper and zinc. A common metal of the Middle Ages. It resembles gold in colour and is much softer than bronze.

LAURIE & LAZARUS

The first record of the firm of Laurie & Lazarus is in 1898, as china and glass agents located at Holborn Circus, London.  In 1902 they registered as gold and silver workers with the Goldsmiths' Company.  The partnership was subsequently disbanded in 1913.

LAVALIERE

A delicate pendant(s) worn on or attached to neck chains.

LIDDICOATITE

A new variety of tourmaline, named after Richard T. Liddicoat. It has a hardness of about 7.5 on the Mohs scale. It is similar in colour to the elbaite tourmaline with zones of red, pink, and blue in many specimens.

LIMOGES

A type of very fine enamelwork on copper. The design is painted in translucent enamel onto the dark enamel base layer. This technique was perfected in Limoges, France in the 15th century.

LONGUARD CHAIN

A very long chain to be worn around the neck, having clasps at the ends to be attached when the chain was passed through a lady's fur muff. These chains were worn in England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Winston Churchill's wife Clementine was given a longuard chain as a wedding gift.

LORGNETTE

A pair of eye glasses mounted on a handle; opera glasses similarly mounted.

LUCIDA CUT

Patented by Tiffany & Co. in 1999, the Lucida cut features a square, mixed cut diamond consisting of 50 facets. It is named after the term for the brightest star in a constellation.

LUCIEN GAUTRAIT

Very little is known about the French jeweller Lucien Gautrait.  He is said to have worked for the house of Vever, as well as for Leon Gariod, in the late nineteenth century in Paris.  His work is noted for extremely fine chasing and enamelwork.  Despite the lack of records with regards to this designer, quite a few of his jewels remain, and are characterized by finely wrought gold decorated with plique-a-jour enamelling, and are most often in the form of pendants.  Vever, the famed French jeweller and historian and Gautrait’s contemporary, described him as, ‘an excellent jeweller with a delicate style, who perfectly executes rare and charming works in which the engraving and enamel play an important role.’

LUCKENBOOTH BROOCHES

Heart shaped brooches, the name presumably because they were sold in the Luckenbooths street stalls (locked booths) near St. Giles Church, Edinburgh. They were often pinned to the shawl worn by a child at its christening to ward off evil.

LUSTRE

Lustre is the quality and quantity of light reflected from the surface of a gemstone.

There are eight types of lustre (1) Adamantine - characteristic of diamonds only, (2) Vitreous, the appearance of broken glass (sapphire, ruby, emerald, topaz, tourmaline and rock crystal), (3) Metallic, opaque gemstones (hematite and pyrite are examples), (4) Pearly (moonstone and opal), (5) Waxy, (turquoise) (6) Resinous, having the appearance of resin (amber), (7) Silky, (malachite), and (8) Oily like the sheen of oil (chrysolite).