Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels

On December 9^th Sotheby’s will hold a jewelry auction in their Manhattan showroom. The sale contains a collection of magnificent jewelery spanning over a hundred years of jewelry history and several loose stones that are poised to sell at new record prices, including a 30.48ct D, Flawless, oval brilliant cut diamond.

The sale includes some museum quality pieces, both in rarity and beauty. Lot 88 is a pearl, diamonds, enamel and glass brooch by Rene Lalique, circa 1900. The piece features three pinkish-orange glass roses in a cluster framed in red enamel branches, diamond-set branches and button pearls. The shape is very organic and represents nature in all of its splendor and perils, beware of the thorns. The sale also includes a rare and important Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond and emeralds ring (lot 222), by Louis Comfort Tiffany, circa 1910-1915. The full page catalog description of the ring was written by Janet Zapata, renowned jewelry historian and author of many books including The Jewelry and Enamels of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The sale would not be complete without some stunning pieces by Cartier, the famed French jewelry house that is celebrating its 100^th anniversary in the United States. Finally, offered for sale is a collection of jewelry and fabulous Cartier handbags from the late Brazilian model and philanthropist, Lucia Moreira Salles, which includes the three rings shown here designed by JAR.

Sotheby’s website is also quite spectacular and easy to navigate. It hosts a new e-catalog where each lot is photographed and can be examined up close, with a condition report available at a click of the mouse. I looked at the online catalog before I had the book and found it more captivating. The photographs are the same color and quality as the catalog, but the e-catalog features each lot separately, so no jewel is overshadowed by another that it might share a page with in the catalog. The public exhibition will be held in New York the week prior to the sale.