Parisian-born Marcel Boucher’s astounding costume jewellery pieces have more in common with art than artifice. The master craftsman cut his teeth designing for Cartier in New York in the 1920s, moving to more populist jewellers Mazer Bros after the great depression. His innate knowledge of fine jewellery combined with an understanding of popular tastes, led to a collection of bold, imaginative costume pieces under the Boucher label, that were so well crafted that they were often mistaken for the real thing. Brooches shaped like animals, fruits and human figures, some finely enamelled, made him an established name. His fantasy birds from the 1940s are particularly coveted by collectors.