Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

A gem-set slipper brooch attributed to Paul Flato, circa 1940, the slipper set with circular-cut rubies with a circular-cut sapphire pom-pom and single-cut diamond trim, mounted in platinum and gold, unsigned, length 40mm. £1,200-£1,500

Paul Flato (1900 - 1999), born in Texas, moved to New York in 1920 to become an apprentice to a jeweller on Fifth Avenue before soon establishing his own business. Known for his witty and whimsical designs, Flato became one of the best known jewellers in New York, becoming early friends with Harry Winston and employing future luminaries such as David Webb and Duke Fulco di Verdura. In 1938, at the height of the Golden Age, Flato opened a boutique on Sunset Boulevard and firmly established himself as Hollywood’s first “Jeweller to the Stars”, creating jewels for legendary figures including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn and Rita Hayworth. Flato’s surrealist designs often displayed levity and humour with a special nod to the wearer in question - one such example being a pair of miniature golden slippers made for the dancer Ginger Rogers. Often unsigned, as with many of Flato’s jewels, other pieces inspired by shoes and feet, include jewelled pom pom sandals, slippers and cowboy boots.


Literature:

Bray, Elizabeth Irvine, Paul Flato; Jeweler to the Stars, Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom; Antique Collectors Club, 2010, p. 97.