Seashell and Sterling Silver decorative box by Marguerite Stix

MARGUERITE STIX drew inspiration from the artists that surrounded her, such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Born in Vienna, she spent her formative years studying at the Weiner Werkstätte workshop lead by Josef Hoffmann. The studio artisans worked in a wide variety of mediums, which exposed Stix to ceramic, sculpture, and watercolor. With World War II her family to moved to Paris, and then in the 1940s again to New York City. As she honed in on her aesthetic, Stix discovered her love affair with sea shells. Stix started creating pieces that functioned as both adornment and art, seamlessly incorporating organic objects. The jewels included shells decorated with gold, diamonds, and precious stones. She and her husband created The Stix Rare Shell Gallery in 1964 out of their home in Manhattan. Her pieces were exhibited in many galleries and museums such as the Whitney, and collected by style icons such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis.