Gilbert Albert. A gold diamond set necklace, with brilliant cut diamonds claw set to the centrepiece, and barrel link chain, maker's mark, stamped 750, length 39cm, together with Gilbert Albert suede pouch

Born in 1930 in Geneva, Gilbert Albert’s prodigal talent was recognised from a young age and he was admitted to the l’Ecole des Arts Industriels. The school enabled Albert to engage with his interest in all aspects of design and modern sculpture, putting him in contact with the work of Brancusi and Mondrian. In 1955, at the youthful age of 25, he began working for Patek Philippe as a designer and head of workshop. His seven year stint at the firm was wildly successful, winning the company the DeBeers Diamonds International Award - the Oscar of the design world - three times consecutively. His iconic collections, particularly ‘Ricochet’, remain highly sought after collectible items for their asymmetric and angular faces. Following on from Patek Philippe, he worked with Omega. This collaboration continued his success streak, winning the DeBeers Award two times further under the company name. In 1962, however, the Swiss jeweller moved away from watchmaking to establish a jewellery house and open his own atelier. This daring business move is commonly attributed to the advice given by his tutor from l’Ecole des Arts Industriels: ‘if you want to succeed, do what others will not do.’ The jewellery he designed in this period was even more groundbreaking than his previous collections. As the first designer to set meteorites into fine jewellery, he created incredible contrasts between roughly hued and unconventional raw materials with highly polished, textured 18 carat gold. This innovative approach earnt him five more DeBeers Awards in his own name, totalling to a previously unprecedented ten awards in his lifetime, earnt between 1958 and 1988. His works have been widely exhibited around the world, including Paris, New York, Dubai and Johannesburg. He was the first living artist to be invited to show his pieces at the Kremlin in Moscow since 1917.