A Jewelry Piece To Buy Only From Reputable Dealer: Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent was an iconic figure, an influential European fashion and jewelry designer who impacted the entire fashion world from the 1960s to the present day. [caption id="attachment_6672" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yves Saint Laurent YSL Crystal Belt[/caption]  

Yves Saint Laurent: Early Years

As a teenager, Yves Saint Laurent left for Paris to work for designer Christian Dior and gained acclaim for his dress designs. In 1966, he launched his own fashion labels, where his adaptations of tuxedos for women garnered him a tremendous recognition as an innovator and a worldwide fame. He was the first living designer to receive a solo exhibition in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1983. [caption id="attachment_6748" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yves Saint Laurent Cuff Bracelet[/caption]   The future designer grew up in a villa by the Mediterranean with his two younger sisters, Michelle and Brigitte. His family was very well off as his father was a lawyer and insurance broker who owned a chain of cinemas. The boy’s designing talent was apparent from his early age and by his early teen years he was already designing dresses for his mom and both sisters. [caption id="attachment_7860" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yves Saint Laurent Architectural Bracelet[/caption]   When Yves Saint Laurent turned 17, a whole new world opened up to him when his mother took him on a trip to Paris: She had arranged for her son a meeting with Michael de Brunhoff, then editor of French Vogue, and showed her son's drawings to the fashion magazine’s editor. Brunhoff was very impressed Saint Laurent’s drawings. [caption id="attachment_6862" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yves Saint Laurent Enamel Heart Necklace[/caption]  

Saint Laurent Taking His Talent To A New Level

A year later, the future fashion trendsetter moved to Paris and enrolled at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. At this prestigious educational institution his designs quickly gained notice. De Brunhoff also introduced Saint Laurent to designer Christian Dior, who was already a giant in the fashion world at the time. Under Dior's mentorship, Saint Laurent's style continued to mature and gain still more notice. [caption id="attachment_6066" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yves Saint Laurent Pearl Crystal Necklace[/caption]  

Fame's Downside: Buying Authentic Yves Saint Laurent

Because the demand for an authentic Yves Saint Laurent jewelry or fashion creation is so high it attracts counterfeiters as much as honey attracts bees. The level of craftsmanship that is required to produce an authentic Yves Saint Laurent item is certainly in no comparison to how much time, effort, and skills counterfeiters are able to put in. There are a couple of things you can pay attention to in order to avoid being a victim of such fraud:

• Look at the item’s marking and serial numbers. Even Yves Saint Laurent bags have embossed serial numbers. An authentic Yves Saint Laurent items would never have a metal tag with words “Yves Saint Laurent” hanging off it.
• Try to compare the item you’re offered to the pictures of what you know to be an authentic item, for example Yves Saint Laurent’s website or a magazine articles of that period, if you’re buying vintage Yves Saint Laurent.

But the best way to buy authentic vintage Yves Saint Laurent jewelry is, of course, to buy from a reputable vintage and antique jewelry dealer. There are only a handful of these in the United States. DSF Antique Jewelry is on the top of the list. [caption id="attachment_5079" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Gold Tone Star Brooch/Pendant[/caption]