Metier Paris large heavily detailed amethyst fob
American-born, Paris-based Alexandra Hutchings, owner of Métier Paris, possesses an uncanny sense of rare, soulful, beautifully crafted antique jewelry. Her skillfully curated collection of jewelry that spans from the Georgian through Art Deco eras has developed a loyal following on Instagram, which is Hutching’s main selling platform at the moment. She left Ruby Lane years ago and, while working on her website, found a solid customer base with her eye-catching, often museum quality and historical pieces, which she features with great sensitivity to the jewels in beautiful, artfully propped photographs. Hutchings sells the type of pieces that tug at your heart, revealing the character of the details and their different lives and giving a glimpse into spirit, strength and the woman behind the jewels.
“My life and career took many twists and turns before I settled into the world of antique jewelry,” Hutchings explains. Originally from Washington D.C, she spent part of her youth on her family’s property in New Mexico. Her summers and vacations were spent in France, where her great grandparents lived, and her maternal grandmother was born and was part of the art and literature scene in Paris in the 1920s.
Hutchings spoke French as a first language which was a family tradition. Her fascination with jewelry started young and during school (her mother was a huge antique collector). The first job she landed out of school was at Tiffany & Co. where she learned about stone setting, lost wax casting, bench work and quality control. She ended up leaving for a tech and finance career in Silicon Valley until the tech bubble burst and she knew she had to start over.
She fell in love, married, had her daughter Sophie and moved to Paris, when her husband was relocated there “I guess it’s where I was meant to be,” says Hutchings, whose family always had ties to France. “My American great-grandparents moved to France in1901. Some family members founded the American Hospital in Paris. My maternal grandmother was born in France close to the Italian border. She went to Vassar and became an actress on Broadway in the 1920s. After the crash of 1929, she returned here to live with my great grandmother, joined the art and literature scene and dated Alexander Calder. She was friends with Kandinsky, Henry Miller and Anais Nin to name just a few. When the war came to Paris, she moved to New Mexico and my grandmother became active in the war effort and was later awarded a medal of honor by Charles de Gaulle. We lived in Cannes briefly in 1972 while my father traveled as an Advance Man for the White House.”
“ When we moved to Paris, it was a challenging time, but all of my background, love and training in jewelry and my photography background all came together, and I launched my business.”
She continues, “I became more familiar with the landscape of internet sales, Instagram and all the facets of buying and selling antique jewelry; I felt a weight lifted and a true sense of happiness about myself, my life and my career. It became an exhilarating time.”
She explains, “I look for quality, condition and authenticity first; if the piece is also rare or at least uncommon, even better. After that, it has to speak to me; it has to be appealing and practical to wear. Anything figural, anything that reflects a historical figure, a Greek god, a beloved animal, or expresses a sentiment either of love or remembrance, hits me on a gut level. Most of all, I look for the human touch in meaning, workmanship, and design. These elements stand the test of time.” She concludes. Her love of the craft, joy in finding original pieces and researching them, and exquisite taste have created a flourishing business for Hutchings. She sells to international antique jewelry collectors, many of whom are here in the States and have her IG feed on notifications. They rush to DM when they find a piece they desire, as quite often several original pieces have gotten snapped up in a matter of minutes throughout the years.”
Here are a range of rare finds at Métier Paris with descriptions and comments from owner Alexandra Hutchings
“Clover Earrings: Victorian onyx, diamonds and pearls comprise two four-leaf clovers (which signify luck), pave set with rose-cut diamonds, centered with button pearls against onyx plaques. Enameled gold connecting lengths, also set with diamonds, terminate at rosettes. Hinged for movement. Total of 158 diamonds! High Victorian era, French eagle's head marks, circa 1860s.”
Metier Paris Victorian clover earrings
Hutchings comments on this pair of earrings: “These are breathtaking. They remain timeless, elegant and perfectly wearable despite being more than 150 years old.”
“Giardinetti Ring. This ‘little garden’ ring is circa 1750. These rings all vary in the theme of sprays of flowers, either in baskets or on their own. Several examples can be found in the 18th-century gallery at the Louvre Museum. This one is especially fine: a mix of ruby flowers and emerald leaves in a diamond basket with a tourmaline base. The reverse is exquisitely engraved; the delicate hoop is original.”
Hutching confides, “I believe in ‘jewelry karma’ - sometimes an amazing piece that slips from your grasp comes back around. This was one of those pieces. It came up for auction many years ago, at a time when I couldn’t afford it. It slipped away, only to reappear about ten years later. This time I was ready, and what a find! Delicate, beautiful, and exceptional, it can be worn carefully, occasionally, or kept as an heirloom for a collection.”
“Georgian Poissardes: In keeping with the floral theme, a very rare pair of ‘giardinetti’ 18th-century earrings with rose cut diamonds, plus two table cuts probably left over from the 17th century, are set in silver with gold backing to form a central flower, the leaves and stem creating two elements that meet in the middle. Hallmarked with French marks for 1798 to 1808.”
Says Hutchings, “I love these because they are both rare and stunning; I couldn’t believe the luck in finding them. They also exemplify that a lot of Georgian jewelry is timeless and can be worn today with ease and grace.”
“Georgian Enamel Necklace: An exceptional Swiss enamel necklace, circa 1820 to 1830s. Each link is enameled in midnight blue with a white forget me not, accented with foliage. Thirty little links, including the bale are enameled on both sides.”
Hutching adds, “This is so sweet. It’s rare to find one with small links in overall good condition. Very wearable today!”
Fontenay Locket: Eugene Fontenay, one of France's premier jewelers of the late 19th century, adored reviving classical motifs in his jewels. Renowned for mixing diamonds and enamels for mostly Greek mythological pieces, his purely gem-set pieces of Egyptian motifs are exceptionally rare.
This diamond and emerald pendant renders the papyrus and palm fronds of the hieroglyphics of The Book of the Dead beautifully. Six emeralds and 28 rose cut diamonds bring the piece to life. The surrounding grainetti discs are a Fontenay signature. The interior locket has its original glass. Maker's mark EF on the loop.
“Signed Fontenay pieces are hard to come by, as he didn’t sign many of his pieces, possibly because they were so distinctive and immediately attributable. I’ve never seen one quite like this, with the papyrus motif, and in such beautiful condition.”
“Semper et Ubique Fidelis Fob: A sumptuous and large gentleman’s watch fob that can be worn as a pendant, set with a deep purple engraved “Semper et Ubique Fidelis”: Always and Everywhere Faithful. The motto has a remarkable crossover history with the United States, France and the Irish, beginning with the Irish who settled in France in the 17th century, making its way to the US, where it became ‘Semper Fi’ - the motto of the US Marine Corps. Many noble French and Irish families adopted the motto into their family crests or modified it to “Semper Fi”. Intricate, deeply cast, the top ring hallmarked with a ‘tete de coq’ for 1809 - 1819.
Metier Paris large Fob front view
Hutchings concludes, “This piece has survived beautifully over two hundred years, obviously lovingly cared for in a collection. I fell in love with it for its artistry and craftsmanship. Still, I also had a personal connection: the Irish brigade with this motto that settled in France fought with John Paul Jones on the Bonhomme Richard, and my thirteenth great grandfather, a Frenchman who emigrated to the US was the ship’s sailing master.”
Metier Paris large fobs 3/4 view
Metier Paris gold workmanship view