Whilst jewellery was not a family trade, the Lacloche children were born into, the offspring of Hendriks Lacloche and his wife decidedly transformed their family name into one eponymous with some of the most stunning and unique jewellery seen in the 20th century. Hendriks and his wife raised four sons: Leopold, Jules, Jacques and Fernand; and two daughters: Bertha and Emilie. All six children entered the jewellery trade, setting up shops across the world under their family name. It would be uninformed, however, to say that the Lacloche Frères brand was one company. In fact, the family business consisted of multiple operations, all associated with the family name through different enterprises of the siblings who produced a broad range of jewellery and luxury items.

Lot 510: Lacloche Frères. An emerald and diamond hoop brooch (September 2024)

Estimate: £1,500 - £2,500

Jules and Leopold travelled to Paris, initially establishing Lacloche Frères in 1892. In the same year Jacques and Fernand left to travel the world, setting sail for New York. Upon Jacques and Fernand’s return, they set up Lacloche et Cie in 1895, in Madrid. Whilst based in Spain, the pair designed and imported jewellery from Paris - selling to a loyal following within the Spanish aristocracy. Quickly, the Lacloche brothers were dressing the crowned royalty of their age in their wares, including Napoleon III, His Majesty King George the I and Alfonso XII of Spain.

Seeking to capitalise on their success, Lacloche et Cie was the first to open new stores. They branched out of Madrid quickly, opening new stores in Biarritz and San Sebastian, Spain a year later in 1896. Following suit, Jules and Leopold expanded their own stores. By 1898 they had stores in Aix-les-Bains, Monaco, Nice, Trouville and Ostend Belgium. Between the two pairs, they covered every desirable destination for the affluent upper-class clientele the brothers sought.

During this year, Jules and Leopold further collaborated with Louis Gompers, opening Lacloche-Gompers on the rue de l’Opera in Paris.

Both Bertha and Emilie also opened businesses alongside their respective partners. Bertha and her husband opened Walewyk-Lacloche in Madrid in 1897, specialising in bridal baskets and hosiery and notably outfitting the heir to the Spanish crown in 1907; whilst Emilie and her husband opened Coven Lacloche in Paris, 1900.

It was only after 1900, the year in which Jacques was tragically killed in a train derailment, that the brothers consolidated their various finances and endeavours to form Lacloche Frères, settling at 15 Rue de la Paix. The following decades saw the success of the brothers flourish further. In 1904, when acquiring the retiring London jeweller Edwin Streeter’s stock, they came into the possession of the historic rose pink Agra diamond, which they auctioned at Christie’s the next year. By 1908 they had seven European stores, creating gorgeous timepieces and jewellery that followed mainstream designs as opposed to the daring Art Nouveau styles of the time. 

The Lacloche brothers were succeeded by their sons, with Jacques Jr joining the firm in 1919 and Fernand’s sons Henri and Jacques opening offices on Fifth Avenue, New York in 1922. Bedecking Hollywood royalty in their creations, Lacloche Frères was awarded a Grand Prix at the Exposition internationale des artes décoratifs et industriels modernes across the Atlantic in Paris, in 1925. Grand commissions continued, with the firm being hired to create the Westminster crown, a stunning masterpiece composed of 284 diamonds, including the Arcot I and Arcot II diamonds. This decade was undeniably the age where Lacloche Frères truly came into their own, producing some of the finest and creative Art Deco jewellery, clocks and ladies’ accessories. Their art of this period drew from the extensive interest in ‘exotic Eastern’ culture that swept through Europe and America in the inter-war period; and designs were perforated with boldly coloured gems, Hieroglyphics and Egyptian flora and fauna motifs.

Yet, all good things must come to an end. The 1929 crash, combined with the disastrous gambling habits of Henri and Jacques, caught up with the firm in 1931 and forced it to declare bankruptcy. Only a showroom in Paris remained open, and Jacques Jr continued the family business by opening a shop at 8 Place Vendome. Here he continued to create jewellery for a small circle of clients until the early sixties.