MASRIERA. Brooch, ca. 1900. In 18kt yellow gold in the form of a bird with outstretched wings, achieving a nice design of circular character. Beautiful pliqué-à-jour enamel work on the wings, very characteristic of the firm, and neck and head with enamel. Blue sapphire, round cut, in the mouth and, at the base, princess-cut sapphires, topped, as a pendentif, with a natural oval pearl. With velvet bag Masriera signature. Certificate of authenticity issued by Masriera y Carreras can be issued at the buyer's request and expense. Includes Masriera bag. Measurements: 5,8 x 4,3 cm. The plique-à-jour technique, French for "letting the light in", is a vitreous enameling technique in which the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but without any backing material on the finished product, so that light can pass through the transparent or translucent material. It is an extremely expensive technique (up to 4 months to produce a piece), with a high failure rate. The silverware and jewelry firm was founded in Barcelona in 1839 by Josep Masriera Vidal. The process of making the pieces, from design to the final polishing, was carried out in the family workshop, which was expanded as demand increased and, with it, production. At the end of the 19th century, the Masriera workshop was already the most important in the city of Barcelona, obtaining the Gold Medal and the Unique Prize awarded by the Associació d'Artífexs en Joieria i Plateria de Barcelona. In 1887 the firm was renamed Masriera y Hermanos, with Josep Masriera Manovens at the helm. At this time the production was extended to jewelry, partly thanks to the recovery of various techniques of enamel processing, and Lluís Masriera Rosés, Josep's son, became the jeweler of Catalan modernism, achieving international renown. In the second decade of the 20th century, the firm left behind the Art Nouveau style in favor of more geometric lines, close to the new Art Deco. In the middle of Noucentisme, in 1915, two of the oldest families of silversmiths and jewelers in Catalonia, the Masriera and Carreras, who had been in business since 1766, merged thanks to the association of Masriera and his brothers with Joaquim Carreras Nolla. Thus was born the firm Masriera y Carreras, focused on the production of Lluís Masriera's designs and the new and thriving European Art Deco style. Their participation in the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, and in the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona in 1929, meant the definitive international recognition of the firm. In 1985 Masriera y Carreras and Bagués, another of Barcelona's historic firms, joined forces. The Bagués-Masriera firm remains active to this day.