A moonstone and sapphire brooch by YARD, circa 1940s/50s, together with a matching bracelet and earrings, set with cabochon moonstones and sapphire and diamond highlights, the bracelet composed of flowerhead clusters, the brooch and earrings modelled as stylised floral sprays, with screw back fittings for the earrings, all white precious metal mounted, the brooch being stamped ‘YARD INC’ and ‘PALL’ for palladian and the bracelet with ring and bolt clasp stamped ‘14k’, the bracelet and earrings unsigned, with red leather cases for the bracelet and brooch, the silk lined ‘Raymond C Yard Inc, Jewellers 607 Fifth Avenue, New York’, bracelet length 19cm, brooch 4.8cm, earrings 1.7cm. £1800-2200

Raymond Yard began his career at the age of 13, in 1898, when he began working for the well-known New York jewellery firm Marcus & Co. By 1922, he had opened his own company, and for nearly 40 years ran the firm that bore his name, attracting clientele from the leading American families, such as the Rockefellers, Fleischmanns and Flaglers. Yard became renowned for his detailed workmanship and use of high quality stones, being personally involved in every piece of jewellery that carried his name, which inevitably limited the number of jewels produced. Consequently pieces by YARD are rarely found on the open market. During the years of the Second World War, there was a prohibition on the use of platinum in America, (with platinum only available for use in military applications), hence Yard’s occasional use of rarer metals such as palladium, as seen in the brooch offered for sale here.