above images: Town and Country December 2009Tony Duquette had a life long fascination with jewelry. The jewelry he designed was opulent, extravagant, and exotic. He first started to make jewelry during the 1940s' and gained an international following after his one man exhibition at the Louvre in 1951. Over the next 45 years the jewelry Tony Duquette created did not number more than 500, and before 1960 none were signed. He used precious and semi precious stones mixed with materials such as, antiques pieces, silver, gold, glass to name a few. With his masterful skill and sophisticated eye Tony along with his partner Hutton Wilkinson created one of a kind pieces that were valued for design and not gemology. He was commissioned to design jewelry by celebrities, socialites, even the Duchess of Windsor. In 1994 the jewelry was brought to the attention of Bergdorf Goodman in New York who commissioned Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson to design an exclusive line for the store. After Tony Duquette's death in 1999, his partner Hutton Wilkinson continues designing jewelry under the Tony Duquette name available exclusively through Sakes Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Hutton Wilkinson has shared much more about the jewelry and Tony Duquettes life in his books Tony Duquette and More is More:Tony Duquette
Firoozeh Khorrami
Design Schematic
