A late 18^th century Swiss gold and enamel fruit knife, Geneva circa 1790 by Georges Rémond & Cie (active 1783-1820)

The handle with gilt scrolls, edged with green and red sprigs in basse-taille enamel against an engine turned ground topped with translucent Royal blue guilloche enamel. Flanked to the sides with opaque white enamel of trailing laurel, the junction set with seed pearls. Plain gold blade. Marked GR over C with crown incuse (used 1783-92).

Length – 19.7 cm / 7.75 inches

Weight – 33 grams / 1.06 ozt

Jean-George Rémond (1752-1830) founder of the firm “Jean-Georges Rémond & Company”. Born on the 27th July, 1752 in Hanau he was the son of the Protestant goldsmith Johannes Rémond and his wife Justina Catharina Kessler. Received his primary education in his native town then moved to Geneva and on 18^th June 1783 and was registered as “a jeweller from Hanau". Being a foreigner, he filed a petition to the city authorities and paid the tax. On December 22^nd 1783, he was officially admitted as goldsmith-jeweller after the submission of his oval gold snuffbox with painted enamel. The snuffbox was registered as a sample and received enthusiastic assessment - "excellently made". At the same time, Rémond founded a company “Georges Rémond & Cie” and registered his first identification mark, with subsequent changes to the firm and its mark over the next 40 years.