Peacock and hand-fans are a match made in heaven. As the peacock unfolds its tail in an attempt to entice and seduce, the motion calls to mind the lightness with which the “femmes du monde” made their hand-fans twirl in rhythm with their life during the 19th Century. This hand-fan is as spectacular when it is worn as when it is displayed.

Each 1mm-thick stick is formed by a marquetery of mother-or-pearl. Up to 8 shells are needed to form the panache (the first stick). The craftsman then covers the upper part of the extremely thin mother-of-pearl frame with silk. Feathers are then flattened and positioned one by one in order to create an outstanding ensemble.

Haliotis mother-of-pearl from Mexico shaped by a tabletier maker in Spain.