163 - HERMÈS - Crescendo

HERMÈS - Crescendo Silver bracelet (925/1000) with oval drop-style chain links and a bar clasp. Signed with the workshop hallmark (heavily worn). Gross weight: 97 g. L: 22.2 cm. In its original case. Appraiser: BOUTEMY Note: This model is emblematic of Hermès’s jewelry design language, emphasizing clean lines and the quality of the chain. It is reminiscent of the work of Gaëtan de Percin and silversmith Georges Lenfant, names associated with the design and craftsmanship of high-quality jewelry for the great French houses. Description: Founded in 1837 as a saddlery and harness shop, Hermès developed a line of silver jewelry in the 20th century that translated its distinctive equestrian and nautical themes into metal. In 1938, Robert Dumas, then at the helm of the house, designed the Chaîne d’ancre, inspired by the anchor chains of ships, whose link pattern became one of the signature motifs of the saddler on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. Like the great houses on Place Vendôme, Hermès entrusted the production of its jewelry to specialized Parisian workshops. The name of Gaëtan de Percin, who founded his workshop in 1938 to work with Robert Dumas, thus remains closely associated with the house’s first silver jewelry collection. Percin himself had trained under Georges Lenfant, whose workshop on Rue des Petits-Champs—specializing in chains, bracelets, and links—worked for Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Mellerio dits Meller. The Crescendo bracelet, whose oval forçat link cascades downward, is part of this tradition of jewelry built around the link. Goldsmithing continues to hold a special place in the world of Hermès, which acquired the Puiforcat house in 1993, while jewelry design has been entrusted to Pierre Hardy since 2001.