This November, at the Fine Arts Biennale at the Grand Palais, Thomas Torroni-Levene will be presenting exclusive pieces from his heritage collection of Ren\u00e9 Boivin jewelry. One of the highlights is a necklace of royal provenance that once belonged to Nam Phuong the last Empress of Vietnam.<\/p>\n
By Sandrine Merle.<\/p>\n
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Stand A12. This is where Thomas Torroni-Levene (a representative of the 6th generation and Ren\u00e9 Boivin\u2019s temple keeper) is exhibiting his collection of Ren\u00e9 Boivin pieces at the Torroni house (one of the world’s leading dealers in precious stones and antique jewelry). His selection includes models that have marked the history of the brand: the Quatre Corps ring, the wooden ring set with a diamond, the Fil ring evokes a set of wires wrapped around the finger, and the Torque bracelet in twisted silver. He will also be exhibiting one-of-a-kind pieces such as this 1935 necklace, with its scrolling diamond motifs, typical of the Boivin style. “Made for Nam Phuong, the last Empress of Vietnam, it consists of bracelets and a pair of brooches and can also be worn as a tiara,” explains Thomas Torroni-Levene.<\/p>\n
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Nam Phuong, a great Boivin customer<\/strong><\/p>\n “Nam Phuong (literally meaning Southern Perfume) was a major Ren\u00e9 Boivin customer, the only one from Asia as far as we know,” continues Thomas Torroni-Levene. We don’t know on what occasion she placed this order, nor do we know how she came to know Ren\u00e9 Boivin. The most likely hypothesis is that she was introduced to Ren\u00e9 Boivin by her older sister, who usually accompanied her, the wife of Baron Didelot, who was also a regular Ren\u00e9 Boivin customer from the early 1920s to the late 1980s. “In 1932, when designer Suzanne Belperron left Boivin to found her own company, many customers followed her. In the archives, I found that Baroness Didelot was a customer in June 1938, unlike Nam Phuong, who visited Madame Belperron’s only once and ordered nothing, unlike Nam Phuong, who only visited Madame Belperron once and didn’t order anything; she remained loyal to Ren\u00e9 Boivin,” explains the Suzanne Belperron expert Olivier Baroin.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n