Auction Highlights: Sotheby’s Important Jewels, New York September 22

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The first major jewelry auction of the fall season in New York will take place at Sotheby’s on 22 September 2016.

Sotheby’s Important Jewels sale features rare and historically important designs by René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, fashionable vintage pieces by renowned makers such as Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, and stunning white and colored diamonds and gemstones.

 

With more than 200 jewels on offer, and estimates starting from $3,000, the Important Jewels auction is a relevant opportunity for both new and established collectors to acquire treasures to fit every style and occasion.

This auction will prove to be an authentic journey through time, with René Lalique, the father of Art Nouveau design, and his use of curved lines to depict the more sensual and, at times, menacing side of nature.

His famous collaboration with actress Sarah Bernhard led to the creation of two serpent-form jewels for her role as the formidable Empress Theodora.

Remaining fond of this motif, Lalique created this ring (estimate $15/20,000), featuring a blue molded glass face, its serene expression provocatively at odds with a coiled serpent, poised to strike.

 

In 1902, Louis Comfort Tiffany became the first Design Director for Tiffany & Co. which his father had founded in 1837.

During his tenure, Tiffany created highly stylized pieces that reflected a prioritization of craftsmanship and conception over intrinsic value.

This Moonstone, Lapis Lazuli and Diamond Necklace circa 1915 (estimate $20/30,000) is a prime example of the designer’s proto-modernist yet timeless aesthetic.

 

The September sale features jewels by Cartier from the Art Deco period to today, led by a stunning Platinum, Emerald and Diamond Bracelet from the 1930s (estimate $150/200,000).

The highly-articulated bracelet, studded with five large cabochon emeralds, is a quintessential example of the style of the time.

 

A charming, contemporary creation is a ‘Les Oiseaux Libérés’ Ring (estimate $30/40,000). Designed as a pair of birds perched atop a branch, the piece draws upon Cartier’s longstanding tradition of providing stunning jewels inspired by animals.

 

Property from a New York Estate includes a treasure trove of jewels by Bulgari from the 1960s and 70s – a highly-coveted period among collectors.

The pieces include this mesmerizing Emerald, Colored Stone and Diamond Brooch(estimate $40/60,000) and a Pair of Gold, Enamel and Diamond Compacts (estimate $5/7,000).

 

Classic designs by Van Cleef & Arpels include this Platinum and Diamond Brooch from 1942 (estimate $50/70,000).

The bow motif illustrates how successful the firm’s craftsmen were at manipulating ridged materials to create a remarkably fluid, wilting design.

 

To highlight are also dazzling diamond and color stone jewels not to be missed:

 

By Claudia Carletti. Material courtesy of Sotheby’s.