Among mortals, it was first reported in 1304 in the possession of the Rajah of Malwa, weighing in at 186 carats. Indian myth has it that the Kooh-i-Noor, the most famous diamond in the world, was the jewel that hung about the neck of the sun god to give him his brilliance. The settings themselves foretell the technique of “invisible setting” developed in France in the 18th century, which became virtually a lost art until the 1900s when Le Vian artisans skillfully revived the technique. The stones, for example, are set so they shade from dark to light, the deeper stones suggesting the howdah mounted on the elephant’s back, the lighter tones rounding downward. The quality of the workmanship is testament to the extraordinary artistry and expertise of Le Vian at the time. Of inestimable value, the elephant was crafted by Le Vian® jewelers in 1746 as a tribute to Nadir Shah, Persia’s most famed ruler. Each eye is a 2-carat round ruby the tusks are hand carved ivory. Never before shown publicly, Le Vian® Through the Centuries is a historied collection of more than 50 pieces of jewelry and jeweled objets d’art created by the LeVian family, some dating back 500 years.Īll hand-made, often replicating 2000 year old techniques, the pieces are extraordinary for their exquisite design, their master craftsmanship, and for the quality and cut of the gemstones.Ī spectacular objet d’art from the collection, this 40-pound jeweled elephant stands 11 inches tall and is 12 inches long, all of it hand inlaid with 6,602 pieces of natural turquoise totaling 12,000 carats from the legendary Neishabur mine in Persia, now extinct. A Retrospective of Le Vian through the Centuries
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