A reader asks;
“Is the rumor true that some US servicemen would sneak Bronsons overseas to have them ‘customized’ in France or Spain? I was told stories by my grandfather of magnificent, yet terrifying, ruby studded, and silver plated vaginas. Is this true?”
This is true.
When Bronson partnered with the house of FabergĂ© to produce their first jewel-encrusted “Imperial Vagina” in late 1887 for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, their flawless craftsmanship and florid design captured the imagination of Europe’s cultural elite. At the time, however, they failed to make a huge splash in nouveau-riche America, where tastes were still more practical. It wasn’t until decades later, when Cartier decided to reprise the concept in the Art Deco design landscape of New York in the 1930’s, that the broader American aesthetic became receptive to such decadent, inguinal excess.
That’s not to say there was no demand at all, however. During that period from 1890-1930, lesser European jewelers did do some custom work for American military officers whose tours overseas brought them a more cosmopolitan perspective, and therefore sought to improve their wives’ intrinsic as well as aesthetic value. The less scrupulous of these jewelers (mostly the damned Spaniards) would even place false hallmarks on their work – a shameful practice which confounds the antiques trade to this day.