A French Belle Époque Thibault & Jolivot sapphire, diamond and platinum bracelet, comprising long oval links, with central cushion shaped sapphires, with three rows of open work eight-cut diamonds in grain settings, with millegrain edges, onto links connected by diamond set rings, with open sides, with bars, mounted in platinum, on a gold box and tongue clasp, with French eagle head marks and a maker's mark T&J with an arrow above, for Thibault & Jolivot , with a figure-of-eight safety clasp, circa 1910. Accompanied by GCS certificate 5785-0290, stating that the sapphires are natural, of Basaltic deposit origin, with no indications of heating. The estimated stone weight of the smallest sapphire is 0.50 carat and the estimated weight of the largest sapphire is 0.80 carat.
Platinum was officially recognized by the French government as a precious metal in 1910, at which time the eagle's head, for gold, was also used for platinum. In 1912, a special mark, for platinum, was introduced, a dog's head. The dog's head does not appear on this bracelet so it is likely that it was made after 1903 and before 1912. The use of the eagle head mark and the Thibault & Jolivot maker's mark narrow the dates down to 1910 to 1912.
Georges Adolphe Thibault was a French jeweller, based in Paris. His maker’s mark was GT, surmounted by a horizontal arrow. He was born on 13th August, 1873, in Rethel, in the Ardennes. His parents were Julie Caroline Manneville, aged 28 and Leon Adolphe, aged 29, a painter, like his grandfather. They lived on rue des Minimes in Rethel. In 1901 he lived at 18 rue de la Sourdière, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, near the church of Saint Roch, this was probably his personal address. Later in 1901, he was registered at 101 rue Réaumur, a district where many manufacturing jewellers settled. It is likely that he was producing custom made jewellery during this period, prior to having a registered maker's punch and it is possible that, by then, he was working with his partner, Jolivot. In 1903 they officially joined forces. Their Thibault & Jolivot maker's punch dates from 11th September, 1903, with the initials T&J and the symbol of an Arrow above. In November, 1913, the Thibault and Jolivot partnership was dissolved but Georges remained at 101 rue Réaumur. Officially setting up on his own on 17th February, 1914, with the registration of his GT maker’s mark. On 7th April, 1914 Thibault had filed a patent with the ONPI, for sprung, expandable bracelet links. The First World War started six months after Georges Thibault's business was registered. He had been exempted from military service, at the review board, in 1891 as he was the only son of a widow. Nevertheless he served from 13th October, 1894 to 24th September, 1895, he was then placed on leave but the War of 1914 took him back into the artillery, on 6th August, 1914, until 5th May, 1916. The army recorded his addresses as 18 Rue des Écoles, in the 5th, then rue Monge in the 11th, place d'Enfert Rocherea, place d'Anger and finally 6 bis Avenue de la Grande Armée, in Paris in the 16th. During the 1920s Georges Thibault produced fine jewellery, in the Art Deco style. In 1924, the newspaper, "Le Petit Parisien", announced the death of his mother. On 16th June, 1924 he filed another patent, with the ONPI (now the INPI), for what looks much like a Cartier folding watch bracelet clasp. His work often featured frosted rock crystal. His workshop produced items for Boucheron, which lead to him being awarded a gold medal, at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, of 1925, in Paris. It is likely that he also made items for Lacloche frères. He was so highly regarded by fellow jewellers that Monsieur Boucheron sent his son, Frederik, to be apprenticed to the Thibault workshop, in 1928. In the year that Georges Thibault turned 60 his maker’s mark was deleted, on 19th December, 1932. He remarried at the age of 71, to Emma Claudine Malot. He died on 6th September, 1955, at the age of 82. Like many of the most skilled fine manufacturing jewellers of the time, there is very little written information about him. Vever did not record him and there are no advertisements, other than in directories.
With thanks to https://richardcourrierdeslecteurs.blogspot.com/ https://www.richardjeanjacques.com/2023/06/georges-alphonse-thibault-un-grand.html and Christies.
