S.T. Dupont Gatsby — Red Laque de Chine, With Box
A vintage S.T. Dupont Gatsby finished in marbled red Chinese lacquer with gold-plated trim, offered in its red S.T. Dupont box.
S.T. Dupont produced its first luxury lighter in 1941, and the Gatsby, a late 1980s iteration is the most elegant form. Lacquer suits that shape better than almost anything else. Where an engine-turned metal finish repeats the same cut across the whole body, lacquer does the opposite: it pools, swirls and shifts, so each face of the lighter carries its own pattern and no two examples are alike.
Laque de Chine is not paint. It is natural lacquer, built up in many thin coats, each one dried and polished back before the next is laid down, which is why the surface has depth to it rather than sitting flat on the metal. On this example the red runs from a bright clear tone through to a darker amber-brown where the layers gathered, with the fine marbling that only the hand-applied process produces. The gold-plated cap rim, base and roller frame it.
The lighter is in good vintage condition, with the lacquer unbroken across both faces and the gold trim showing light wear consistent with age.
It comes in its original red S.T. Dupont box. There is no guarantee card or lacquer certificate with this one — the lighter and its box only.