On the occasion of a retrospective exhibition on the history of the House to be discovered at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in the fall of 2022, then in Asia during the year 2023, the House of fine jewelry was part of the traces of the pieces that have shaped its history for 85 years. This is why, in 2020, Valérie Samuel, Vice-President and Artistic Director of Fred, and granddaughter of the founder, is launching a global campaign “Fred seeks Fred”. She was far from imagining what fate was going to reserve for her …
Fred Samuel founded his Maison in 1936. The “Modern Jeweler Creator” quickly attracted a clientele of celebrities and the greatest royal and princely families in the world placed exceptional orders for him. To achieve them, the jeweler sets out in search of gems that will allow him to perform real masterpieces. Fred unquestionably stands out as the jeweler of color. His know-how and his visionary spirit will give birth to exceptional sets such as “Pretty Coeur”, fascinating jewels such as the “Oiseau” brooch made of multicolored sapphires, to name just one and of course, the GOLDEN SUN.
It was in 1977 that Fred crossed paths with this exceptional piece. Anonymous diamond, with an incredible weight of 105.54 carats and a so-called “Fancy Yellow” shade, the stone becomes one of the most fascinating of its time. Endowed with extraordinary beauty, it is its solar radiance and sparkling color that prompted Henri Samuel to baptize it SOLEIL D’OR. It recalls the light of the Riviera and embodies the joie de vivre, optimism, energy and warmth that animate each piece of jewelry designed by the Maison. The SOLEIL D’OR was unveiled to the general public on November 24, 1977, during an exhibition organized in Fred’s historic boutique in Paris. It is also an event before the exhibition at Maxim’s in the presence of actress Margaux Hemingway, pretending to lose the diamond for a short time, which propels him to the rank of eternal icon.
Colored stones therefore became an emblematic passion in Fred’s story, but the SOLEIL D’OR remained and will remain his most beautiful story. “When we put the GOLDEN SUN in perspective of Fred’s story, we understand to what extent it symbolizes what a jewelry house is at the peak of its art: that of creating and selling jewelry in a unique, ”recalls Charles Leung, CEO of Fred. Indeed, the SOLEIL D’OR was eclipsed in the secrecy of private collections in November 1977, but its memory will never cease to inhabit history. He also appears in the 52th place on the list of the largest cut diamonds in the world in the book “Famous Diamonds” by Ian Balfour. It had also allowed Fred to make his entry into the restricted circle of the rare jewelers holding stones of more than one hundred carats.
In 2021, after more than 44 years of separation, the SOLEIL D’OR resurfaces thanks to archival research carried out by Valérie Samuel. The stone is polished and recut in emerald cut with square sides. It now weighs 101.57 carats and this new shape intensifies its color “Fancy Intense Yellow”. Whether it is its magnificent size, its exceptionally rich color, or the rarity of this stone in nature, the SOLEIL D’OR is a real treasure.
This fabulous jewel is therefore back in the heritage of the House and traces the legacy of the genius and expertise of Fred, but not only. Indeed, “his color, so vibrant with youth and energy, and even confidence in the future, will be a permanent inspiration to write the rest of Fred’s story” concludes Charles Leung.