Legendary Jewelry Sales
From Madame du Barry's jewels at Christie's in 1795, to the Elizabeth Taylor sale in 2011, via Lily Safra's JAR brooches and collections belonging to some of the wealthiest maharinis, duchesses and princesses in history, through history, jewelry auctions have had the power to set the collective pulse racing. We lift the lid on the stories behind some of the biggest sales in the world.
1/9Photo: Baroda necklace, commissioned by the Maharani of Baroda with Van Cleef & Arpels in 1950, 13 emerald cabochons, 13 Colombian pear emeralds (total weight of 154 carats) and diamonds. All stones supplied by the Maharani. Faeber collection. The Maharani of Baroda sale in Monaco, 1974 From her extraordinary flight from India to her arrival in Monaco, Sita Devi's incredible journey was paved with gemstones. And from secret sessions at Van Cleef & Arpels and the extraordinary pieces she had made from her own stones (even going so far as to combine the Star of the South and the English Dresden in a single set), to the Princie diamond named after her son and the incredible diamond and ruby carpet that sold at Sotheby's for $5,500,000 dollars, all the stories are true. But the changing times did not bode well for the fortunes of India's Wallis Simpson. Facing financial ruin, she sent her entire collection to auction with Crédit Mobilier de Monaco in 1974. Amongst all of the pieces that she so loved to dismantle to recreate others, Harry Winston acquired the 38.40 Colombian emerald, which would go on to become the Chalk Emerald ring. The legend continues.
2/9Photo: Flamingo clip by Cartier, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and citrines, circa 1940. The Duchess of Windsor sale at Sotheby's, 1987 Held at Sotheby's Geneva a year after the Duchess' death, David Bennett, Chairman of Sotheby's Jewellery in Europe and the Middle East, has called this unique auction "the most important jewelry collection put together in the 20th century". At its heart, the breathtaking brooches and sets by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, that Edward VIII had had made for the woman for whom he would renounce the throne. It was a love affair of such passion, that he is said to have wanted to dismantle the jewelry after her death and in the face of such exceptional pieces, collectors pushed bidding up to a record $50 million, a figure not equaled until the sale of the collection of Princess Salimah Aga Khan in 1995.
3/9Photo: Necklace and earrings Boucheron that belonged to Princess Salimah Aga Khan. The Princess Salimah Aga Khan sale at Christie's, 1995 Sally Croker-Poole became Princess Salimah Aga Khan IV in 1969. On their divorce in 1995, Begum Salima put her entire personal jewelry collection up for sale despite her ex-husband's attempts to prevent her. Her much-loved Boucheron collar necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels Indian-style transformable emerald set and the heart-shaped Begum Blue diamond hit the market for the first time, in a sale that marked the end of a sad story. A painful separation, representing the most extravagant auction of fine jewelry, since the Duchess of Windsor in 1987.
4/9Photo: Diamond and ruby Fleur clip by Van Cleef & Arpels, bought by Maria Callas in 1967. The Maria Callas sale at Sotheby's, 2004 Her pearls and diamonds were photographed the world over, whether in official shots by Cecil Beaton or by the paparazzi who tracked her love affair with Aristotle Onassis. Eleven pieces belonging to La Callas went under the hammer in November 2004, in front of a packed room of more than 200 prospective buyers. Earring and brooches by Van Cleef & Arpels, a penchant for rubies and diamonds and most extraordinarily, a record-breaking marquise diamond solitaire were all on the block, in a sale that finally raises $1.86 million.
5/9Photo: The Poltimore Tiara, worn by Princess Margaret at her wedding in 1960, made in 1870. The Princess Margaret sale at Christie's, 2006 More than a century Queen Victoria's jewels in 1901, 800 pieces belonging to Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret's royal jewelry collection were auctioned in London on June 13 and 14 2006. A moving sale for admirers of the elegant British royal, the auction comprised of a number of Fabergé pieces, heirlooms from Queen Mary, as well as The Poltimore Tiaro, worn by Princess Margaret on her wedding day in 1960. The sale also included an Art Deco river of pearls which Princess Margaret wore in the famous photograph by Cecil Beaton, taken on her 19th birthday. All together, the sale soared to a hundred times its original value, marking an auction house record at Christie's.
6/9Photo: Renamed The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, this extraordinary 33.19 carat stone was given to the actress by Richard Burton in 1968. "My ring gives me the strangest feeling for beauty … It is as if it were animated by an inner fullness," according to the actress. Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection at Christie's, 2011 Before the sale at Christie's on December 14, 2011, three months of travelling exhibitions spun Moscow, London, Los Angeles, Dubai, Geneva, Paris and Hong Kong into a frenzy over Elizabeth Taylor's prized jewelry collection, reaching an almighty high in New York with a record sale of $137.2 million. From The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond, the pearl and ruby Peregrina redesigned by Cartier, The Mike Todd Diamond Tiara, The Taj Mahal Diamond and an abundance of ruby and emerald Bulgari gifts from Richard Burton, the sale comprised of a wealth of treasures from the actress with famously expensive taste. A final testament of her passion for Hollywood glamour.
7/9Photo: Camélia gold and silver ruby pavé brooch belonging to Lily Safra, with a total of 173.09 carats, JAR Paris. Lily Safra's treasures at Christie's, 2012 For many years, she was one of just a handful of collectors to have direct access to Joël Arthur Rosenthal, Place Vendôme's most secretive jeweler. JAR created some of his best-known pieces for her, including the famous ruby pavé Camélia brooch and floral invisible-set pear diamond brooch. May 14 2002, Christie's Geneva was overrun with buyers, who came just as much for exquisite pieces that had belonged to an unrivalled collector, as for JAR himself. Proceeds from the sale went to charities close to the heart of the Brazilian philanthropist.
8/9Photo: Gina Lollobrigida's diamond and emerald Bulgari earrings, circa 1964. The Gina Lollobrigida sale at Sotheby's Geneva, 2013 Gina Lollobrigida is another leading lady from the days of La Cinecittà famed for her love of Bulgari jewels. The actress who starred in Solomon and Sheba and Notre-Dame de Paris, caused a jewelry sensation in May 2013 when her collection of diamonds and emeralds went up for auction at Sotheby's Geneva. The actress was known for adapting her treasures and wearing them in her own way, turning a diamond necklace into an Art Deco tiara which glistened as it caught the light.
