Sotheby’s New York Sale Of Magnificent Jewels To Be Held On April 17, 2008

SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK

SALE OF MAGNIFICENT JEWELS

TO BE HELD ON APRIL 17, 2008

 

AUCTION WILL FEATURE MAJOR DIAMONDS

AND ARTISTIC JEWELS

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE VAN CLEEF & ARPELS JEWELS

FROM THE ESTATE OF RITA K. HILLMAN

New York, New York – Following Sotheby’s record-breaking sale of Magnificent Jewels in New York last December, Sotheby’s spring sale of Magnificent Jewels in New York on April 17, 2008 will offer examples of the highest quality white and colored diamonds and an exceptional selection of signed jewelry, including both classically styled and contemporary pieces. The sale will also feature spectacular Van Cleef & Arpels jewels from the Estate of Rita K. Hillman, a distinguished New York philanthropist with exquisite taste in fine art and jewelry. The 389 lots being offered in two catalogues for this two-session sale at 10am and 2pm will be on exhibition at Sotheby’s New York from April 11 through April 17.

The star lot of April’s jewelry auction, The Property of a Lady, Sold to Benefit a Charitable Foundation, is a magnificent Diamond Ring, Harry Winston, featuring an emerald-cut diamond weighing 24.42 carats. This diamond ring (lot 381, est. $1.8/2.5 million*), mounted in platinum, is flanked by tapered baguette diamonds. It is of exceptional D color and potentially flawless clarity and falls into the rare category of type 11a, which includes the most chemically pure and colorless stones. The attractive proportions of this diamond when viewed from any angle make it a true Winston rarity. Another example of phenomenal white diamonds being offered in this sale is an impressive Pair of Diamond Earrings (lot 369, est. $1.5/2 million). This pair of F color matched round diamond ear studs, weighing 10.05 and 10.03 carats, can gracefully transition from day to evening occasions.

The April sale of Magnificent Jewels is also highlighted by a stunning collection of Van Cleef & Arpels jewels from the Estate of Rita K. Hillman. Rita Hillman and her husband, the publisher Alex Hillman, who were avid art collectors, focused mainly on French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Their discerning eye for art was matched by their unerring taste for unique jewels. Rita Hillman is remembered as a great philanthropist; she became the president of the Alex Hillman Family Foundation in 1968 following her husband’s death, and the Foundation focused its generosity on supporting the arts and nursing in New York City.

The centerpiece of the Hillman jewels is an extraordinary sautoir necklace, which is offered as two separate lots. The Natural Pearl and Diamond Necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels (lot 406, est. $800,000/1.2 million), is designed as a long chain collet-set with over 60 carats of diamonds which suspends two natural pearl drops measuring approximately 18.32 by 16.26 mm. and 16.76 by 15.67 mm. The necklace may also be worn with a spectacular old European-cut Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond Pendant weighing 39.34 carats attached above the natural pearl drops (lot 407, est. $800,000/1.2 million). The collection of nine lots also features an important Diamond Ring, Van Cleef & Arpels, 1957, set with a round diamond weighing 17.00 carats of H color and VVS1 clarity (lot 408, est. $900,000/1.2 million).

Several exceptional colored diamonds are also offered, including a Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond Ring, circa 1930, Property from a Delaware Private Collector (lot 199, est. $100/125,000). The emerald-cut fancy intense yellow diamond, weighing 8.73 carats, is flanked by four baguette and bullet-cut diamonds and two square-cut emeralds, mounted in platinum. A beautiful Fancy Pink-Purple Diamond Ring, William Goldberg (lot 282, est. $700/900,000) will appeal to many connoisseurs of fancy colored diamonds. The oval modified brilliant-cut diamond of fancy pink color weighs 4.23 carats and features a yellow diamond surround.

Among the most important signed pieces offered in this sale is a Pair of Invisibly-Set Diamond Bracelets, Oscar Heyman & Brothers (lot 345, est. $600/700,000). This pair was designed as totally flexible bands, with an unparalleled smooth setting of over 115 carats of square-cut and round diamonds. Rather than the work of one master, these bracelets are a collaborative effort of a designer, lapidary, metalworker and stone setter, each working intensively over a substantial period of time with painstaking skill. The highly supple platinum mountings, flexible from all four directions, are a large part of the design’s success.

The selection of artistic jewels in this sale includes an 18 Karat Gold, Moonstone, Sapphire and Diamond “La Meduse” Brooch, Schlumberger for Tiffany & Company, France (lot 228, est. $60/80,000), Property of a Private Collector. The unusual and stylized jellyfish brooch, decorated with a domed cluster of round cabochon moonstones, is interspersed with small round diamonds above curling tentacles of textured gold and set with baguette sapphires and articulated tendrils of polished gold.

A Ruby and Diamond Geranium Brooch, Michele Della Valle, (lot 319, est. $50/70,000) presents a unique piece of signed contemporary jewelry. The three dimensional flower is realistically modeled as a geranium, pavé set with round rubies and small round diamonds on the petals, buds and stem. The brooch is mounted in titanium, whose incredible lightness allowed the designer to create in a new size and scale, without concern for wearability.

A Sapphire and Diamond Ballerina Brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels, New York, 1951, Property of a Lady (lot 380, est. $75/100,000) is being sold to benefit a Charitable Foundation. Van Cleef & Arpels jeweled ballerina brooches, modeled in a variety of poses and decorated with sparkling stones, were created by Maurice Duvalet, a French-born designer who moved to America after World War I. Duvalet studied paintings and photographs of the most famous names in ballet history as inspiration for his pieces. The dancers held an immediate appeal for the American public, who, emerging from the Great Depression, but with the war in Europe threatening to involve the United States, looked longingly back to an earlier, more gracious time when they enjoyed the cultural pursuits that peace and prosperity afforded. The present figure is set centrally with one cushion-shaped sapphire, weighing approximately 3.75 carats and mounted in platinum.

Also by Van Cleef & Arpels, a Diamond Necklace/Bracelet Combination (lot 368, est. $150/200,000) highlights a classic collection of wearable jewels from an American Private Collector. The present piece is a flexible, slightly graduated foliate motif set with 159 pear-shaped diamonds and 93 baguette diamonds weighing approximately 103.00 carats, mounted in platinum. The Collection also includes a delicate Diamond Bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels, New York, 1951 (lot 367, est. $60/80,000).

The sale of Magnificent Jewels also includes pieces from the Collection of Joan Collins, the British actress. Highlighting this offering is a Diamond Necklace (lot 284, est. $100/150,000), the ultimate in diamonds. The center of the 1960′s foliate design is decorated with a flexible cascade accented with a scrolling ribbon motif, set with 354 round, marquise-shaped and baguette diamonds and weighing a total of approximately 75.00 carats.

Highlights from the April sale of Magnificent Jewels will be on view at Sotheby’s offices in Los Angeles March 28 and Hong Kong April 5-9, alongside the Hong Kong sale of Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite, which takes place on April 10. The public exhibition is open in New York from April 11 through 17 and will also include highlights from the May 15 Geneva sales of Magnificent and Noble Jewels. Specialists in charge of the sale are Lisa Hubbard, Chairman, North and South America, Sotheby’s International Jewelry Division and Gary Schuler, Senior Vice President, Director of Jewelry, Sotheby’s New York.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium.

 

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