All posts by EraGem

An Aquamarine & Enamel Necklace by Giuliano. Photo Credit: Christie’s.

Collectors have been salivating all season as the auction houses have pulled out one after another historical piece to whet their appetites. We’ve seen records broken for almost every kind of diamond, and millions of dollars have been raised for charity. While the season appears to be winding down, Christie’s continues to offer tantalizing treats for those with a discerning eye.

Tomorrow in Kensington, the distinguished auction house will draw a slightly different collecting crowd. This week’s bidders will no doubt be more conservative and possibly even more selective. Antique pieces fill the catalog at prices well below what we’ve seen most of the year, but this does nothing to diminish their importance.

Indeed, the pictured necklace {Lot 26} is only one of several lots that will be true treasure for the collector of Renaissance Revival jewelry. This exquisite feminine jewel was made right around the turn of the 20th century by one of the most notable jewelry firms of the time, Guiliano of Picadilly, London.

A sweeping double swag, composed of fancy links enameled in black and white, is crowned with a jeweled drop featuring a circular-cut pale aquamarine in a foiled closed-back mount with three crystals backed in pink foil. Five circular-cut pale sapphires serve as accents between the larger crystals.

Signed C&AG (for Carlo and Alberto Giuliano), this necklace comes with its original maroon leather fitted case embossed C & A.Giuliano, 115 Picadilly, London.

A master in enamelwork, Carlo Giuliano, Sr.’s signature combination was white and black, and his sons maintained the look he had established as uniquely Giuliano in this necklace made around 1900. In 1860, Sr. Giuliano brought his wife and sons from Naples, Italy, to set up a workshop on Firth Street in London.

Some historians speculate he merely managed the shop for Fortunato Pio Castellani, who is known to have set up shop in London on the same street, and others assume Robert Phillips sponsored his move to London.

Most historians agree that Sr. Giuliano must have apprenticed with Castellani in Naples, where he learned the ancient arts of granulation and enameling. However, aside from his early practice of selling his work through major houses, including Phillips, Hancocks, and Castellani, a cursory glance at the history alludes to a fiercely independent spirit throughout his time in London.

By 1860, he had abandoned the archaeological style and had devoted himself entirely to the Renaissance for inspiration. Unlike many other Renaissance revivalists, he did not intend to duplicate the style, but rather to create a brand new look inspired by history.

His light, colorful, and feminine pieces stood in stark contrast to the heavy jewels of the Victorian Mourning Era. Consequently, his pieces were a sensation right from the start.

By 1874, he had opened his own retail shop on Picadilly, which attracted customers from both the Royal courts and the esteemed artists of London’s Aesthetic crowd. He maintained his workshop on Firth and passed it along to his sons upon his death in 1895, which provides further evidence of an independent move to London, though not conclusive evidence.

After his death, his sons maintained their father’s faithful adherence to the standards of excellence in design and manufacture. The name Giuliani continued to be synonymous with the Renaissance Revival style, black-and-white enamel work, and excellence in craftsmanship that Carlo Giuliani, Sr., was known for during his lifetime.

Along with this beautiful necklace, Christie’s Kensington sale features a number of other pieces signed C & A.Giuliani. An enamel, diamond, and pearl necklace {Lot 29} is set in similar swag style, complete with black and white enamel work, but with daintier central enamelled openwork cartouches. The sale also features four unique Giuliano brooches, three of which were made by Carlo Giuliano, Sr., in the late 19th century.

Indeed, if you collect Renaissance Revival jewelry or pieces specifically made by Giuliano, you will not want to miss tomorrow’s sale at Christie’s in Kensington.

This stunning SeidenGang bracelet is crafted out of hefty 18k gold in a substantial link chain design. Each of its seven stations is set with one round brilliant diamond in a diamond-shaped bezel mounting. The bracelet’s seven links are channel set with five diamond accents. The design features a hidden box clasp and a fold-over safety, allowing the design to flow seamlessly around the wrist.

SeidenGang is the brand name of design innovators, Carol Seiden and Carolyn Gang. First inspired by a rare collection of Greek and Roman plaster bas-reliefs, the two women created some of the first contemporary jewels inspired by antiquity.

All of their beautiful designs, primarily wrought in a unique alloy of 18k green gold, are inspired in some way by the past. Their Odyssey Collection, which “captures the adventure and enduring mystery of ancient Greece” {SeidenGang Designs}, hints toward the thrill of discovery with many of the pieces featuring large fissures erupting with a flash of brilliant diamonds. Their Laurel Collection (from which this bracelet likely hails), has as its muse 18th century French ironwork and evokes a sense of romance with overtones of sophisticated elegance.

No matter which collection calls your name, with a SeidenGang piece you are guaranteed dramatic textures and timeless elegance in jewels designed by two women who embrace life, style, and jewelry with tremendous passion and who infuse individuality, passion, and artistry into every piece.

The Bismarck Sapphire Necklace. Photo by Dane Penland. Photo credit: Famous Diamonds.

In 1926, Harrison Williams purchased Vanadis, the largest private yacht in the world. After refitting it to serve his adventurous purposes, he renamed the ship Warrior, and set sail that July with his brand new wife, the wealthy divorcee, Mona Strader Schlesinger Bush.

At every port of call during their round-the-world honeymoon excursion, the Midwestern utilities tycoon purchased lavish gifts for his new bride. It is believed that Mona’s now-famous Burmese* sapphire was the most illustrious of these gifts.

According to the National Museum of Natural History, the 98.57-carat, cornflower blue, cushion-cut sapphire was later cut and mounted by Cartier as the central stone in this magnificent Art Deco necklace.

In total, 312 natural white diamonds provide the setting for this blue sapphire, with its perfect clarity and excellent transparency. The pristine sapphire is surrounded by a ring of round brilliant-cut and baguette-cut diamonds. The neck chain features a series of one baguette-cut diamond connected to two round brilliants.

During the ensuing 27 years of their marriage, the necklace set sail for many voyages on the Warrior, as Mona enjoyed the high life of a socialite wife in America. The tides turned, however, when Mr. Williams passed in 1953.

Mona, consummately wealthy by this time, decidedly abandoned Bayville Estate, which she had shared with her husband, and married her “secretary”, Count Albrecht ‘Eddy’ von Bismarck. The couple moved to Paris, where Mona quickly became one of history’s most celebrated fashion icons.

Her beauty was unparalleled, her portraits regularly captured by the most celebrated artists and photographers of the mid-century. She would appear in Vogue no less than 50 times, Cole Porter sang of her in “Ridin’ High”, and Salvador Dali memorialized her on canvas. She was the first American named Best Dressed in the World by the upper echelon of Paris fashion, including Chanel, Lelong, and Lanving, and the world was her oyster.

Though her South Sea pearls appear to be her signature piece in many of these photographs, novelist Edward C. Young relates that it was actually the blue sapphire necklace which secured the starring role in her iconic style. He calls the jewel her “trademark gem,” and describes the grand entrances she would make when wearing the necklace.

“Mona’s hair went prematurely gray, and she made the most of it….tinting it slightly amethyst, to go with her massive sapphire, blue Balenciaga…[and] color-coordinated dog (Micky)….The footmen wore blue uniforms when they deposited her at a social gathering in her blue Rolls Royce,” he writes. He goes on to describe her obsession with matching colors and declares, “Mona knew how to make an entrance.” {cited}

Indeed, she appears to have been an expert on making exits, as well. In 1967, for reasons only speculated by this author, Mona donated the necklace to the Smithsonian Institute. It resides now in the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History. In her honor, the Institute named the necklace “The Bismarck Sapphire”.

Perhaps she knew her gig was up. Balenciaga, her favorite couturier closed their doors, and though she would marry one more time in 1971, her heyday was indeed over.

Her last husband, 14 years her junior, died in a sports car accident in 1979. His secret habit of siphoning funds  for his children came to light, and the tragedy of a life lived for money and power completed its circle.

Sad? Yes. Unusual? No. It is these tragic stories that often endow such beautiful pieces of jewelry with incalculable value. For in them resides the memories of the high-life, with its meteoric highs and its wretched, lonely lows.

*Most of the anecdotal internet reports indicate the stone was from Sri Lanka, but the official report from the National Museum of Natural History declares the stone to be of Burmese origin.