Noble Jewels Auction at Sotheby's

Lot 448 of Sotheby's Magnificent & Noble Jewels Auction May 2019. From the Collection of Helene Beaumont. An emerald and diamond necklace, circa 1935. Courtesy Sotheby's.   I've written already about the magnificent jewels available in Sotheby's upcoming Magnificent & Noble Jewels auction. Today I offer you my thoughts on the Noble Jewels available in Session III of their May 14th sale.    

Session III, Noble Jewels

Session III begins at 7pm, once again in the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva. This session offers lots 399 through 448. Not surprisingly, it opens with several important pieces from Cartier. Following this is Lot 402, a stunning carved rock crystal, sapphire, and diamond bangle by Boucheron (click here for more details). Lot 407 features a ruby and diamond pendant formerly owned by Count Carlo Gandini who owns the Villa Gaia Gandini. The Villa Gaia Gandini remains one of the oldest establishments along the right bank of the Naviglio Grande in Milan, Italy. Dating back to the 15th century, the villa continues to play host to important events, including weddings, gala dinners, photo shoots, and more.  

Crown Princess Cecilie

Lot 412, an exquisite diamond tiara attributed to Carl Faberge, belonged to Crown Princess Cecilie, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1886 - 1954). The Princess received the tiara as a wedding gift in 1905. From then on the family referred to the jewel as the Faberge Tiara. Princess Cecilie met Wilhelm, Crown Prince of the German Empire and Prussia (1882 - 1951), in 1904, at the wedding of her brother Grand Duke Friedrich Franz lV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Prince Wilhelm, the great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, immediately fell under the spell of Princess Cecilie's incredible beauty. He married her the following year. Correspondence between Cecilie's mother, Anastasia, and Faberge mention a Diamond Tiara, which may be this very same diamond tiara. In 1906, an exhibition of Wilhelm and Cecilie's wedding gifts took place in Berlin. Of course, the diamond tiara spotlights a press article written about the exhibition. This exquisite noble jewel is set with three prominent circular-cut diamonds, framed with stylized laurel leaves. The central portion of the tiara comprises an arched lattice work with rose diamond quatrefoils at each joint.  

A Rare Emerald Necklace by Janesich

In 1835, Leopoldo Janesich opened his first shop in Trieste, Italy. His jewelry and silverware delighted his customers, and he soon developed an international clientele. In the late 1890s, Janesich opened another shop in Paris. Success followed success, and soon he owned shops in London, Biarritz, Monte Carlo, and Vichy. In the 1920s, Janesich fashioned jewels in the new Art Deco style. In keeping with the style of that age, Lot 430, a diamond and emerald necklace, epitomizes Janesich's Art Deco style. The gorgeous fringe-style necklace consists of series of collet-set square and baguette diamond links. Suspended from these links are numerous emeralds carved as bunches of grapes and foliate motifs.  

A Jewel by JAR

In my opinion, a noble jewels auction must include at least one jewel by JAR. Joel Arthur Rosenthal remains one of my all-time favorite jewelry artists. Lot 436 is just such a jewel. A pair of stylized ear clips featuring colored sapphires and single-cut diamonds. Not one to meet with convention, JAR centered different-colored sapphires on each earring. On one, a purple sapphire. On the other, a yellow sapphire of the same cut. Smaller circular-cut colored sapphires are pave-set to create a gorgeous plaque backdrop. The exterior frame is bordered with single-cut white diamonds. These earrings represent perfectly JAR's mastery of the pave setting and his use of graduating colored stones to form subtle color changes in vivid hues. As usual, JAR set these earrings in a blackened metal alloy, which allows the colors to pop beautifully.  

From the Collection of Helene Beaumont

The entire Magnificent & Noble Jewels auction ends with Lot 448, featured in the above photo. This gorgeous emerald and diamond necklace, probably made by Van Cleef & Arpels, features a line of graduated sugarloaf cabochon emeralds of exceptional quality. These alternate with hexagonal white diamonds. The entirety is then framed in similar hexagonal diamonds, as well as with dart-shaped and baguette diamonds. Furthermore, the detachable back features a tapering row of marquise-, oval-, and square-cut white diamonds. This exquisite necklace hails from the Collection of Helene Beaumont. Helene Beaumont and her husband, Louis Dudley Beaumont, belong to the founding group of jet setters who established the glamorous lifestyle on the French Riviera. Helene enjoyed a brief career as an opera singer before marrying Louis, the American entrepreneur who co-founded the May Company with his brother-in-law. Eventually, the Denver-based department store chain grew into one of the most important in America. Following their move to France, Louis established himself as one of the first patrons of international aviation. For one thing, he organized the first intercontinental flights. In addition, he provided support to aviators during World War I. Eventually, his contributions to the industry earned him the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.  

Collecting on the French Riviera

Following their wedding, the Beaumonts moved to the French Riviera, at Villa Eilenroc. Altogether, they amassed a magnificent collection of art to decorate their home. Unfortunately, Louis died in 1942. Helene moved into a smaller home on her property with her sister. Throughout her lifetime, Helene Beaumont supported numerous charities. Sadly, she passed away in 1988. After that, Sotheby's Monte Carlo handled the sale of the Beaumont's exquisite art and furniture collection in their auction of 1992. Now, in just a few days, collectors have another rare opportunity to add Helene's emerald and diamond necklace to their own collection. This concludes my thoughts on this upcoming sale. For more details on this upcoming sale, I invite you to visit Sotheby's  website.