Club
Legacy of Elegance: Sotheby’s Prepares to Auction an Exceptional Private Collection in New York
There’s something about an auction that no shop window or boutique can ever recreate. It’s the theatre of it all, the suspense, the raised paddles, the sense that history is being claimed in real time. Unlike the quiet certainty of buying in a store, auctions are alive with competition and adrenaline; every bid is a heartbeat, every sale a story. And when it comes to jewellery, the stakes are even higher. These aren’t just ornaments of gold and gems; they are artistry at its finest, treasures that capture imagination, and sometimes whispers of the extraordinary lives that once wore them. A jewel at auction is more than beautiful – it is artistry celebrated in its most dazzling form. Perhaps that’s why an upcoming Sotheby’s auction in New York has set pulses racing.
This December, Sotheby’s will host a live sale titled ‘A Legacy of Elegance: Jewels from an Exceptional Collection’ at its new home within the iconic Breuer Building in New York. This single-owner collection, assembled over decades by a prominent international collector, brings together more than 60 jewels with an auction estimate of around US$8 million. At its core are daring creations by two of the most visionary artists of the modern era, Suzanne Belperron and Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR), alongside treasures from Cartier, Boivin and Boucheron. Guided by the belief that jewellery is an art form equal to painting or sculpture, the collection showcases designs spanning from the late 19th century to today.
“This collection stands out for its variety of qualities—rarity, distinguished authorship, impeccable provenance, and above all, iconic design,” explains Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s Head of Jewels for the Americas and EMEA. “What makes it particularly remarkable is not only the calibre of the houses represented, but the collector’s fearless pursuit of individuality. These are not merely beautiful jewels but cultural artefacts that trace the evolution of modern design. In championing visionary creators like Belperron and JAR, the collection reminds us that jewellery, at its best, is about authorship, intellect and vision. Each piece is unmistakably theirs—bold, poetic, and definitely original—and it’s what gives this collection its extraordinary power.”
Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s Head of Jewels for the Americas and EMEA
The Fearlessness of Belperron
At the heart of the collection are jewels by Suzanne Belperron, one of the few women designers of her era, and certainly one of the boldest. She was experimental, original and unfazed by convention, creating designs that were as daring as they were elegant – a quality that feels rare even today. Belperron never signed her jewels, believing her style was strong enough to stand on its own. Her creations mixed unusual stones, surprising colours and sculptural forms, always designed with a confident individuality that made them wearable art.
Suzanne Belperron bib necklace featuring pink topaz, morganite, aquamarine, and diamonds
Among the auction highlights is a necklace set with topaz, morganite, aquamarine and diamonds (Lot 1), where soft shades of pink and blue are brought together in a striking yet delicate harmony. Another is a chalcedony and amethyst cuff (Lot 9), where Belperron’s confidence shines through in the use of unorthodox materials paired with a machine-age, almost masculine aesthetic. Each jewel feels both strong and graceful, a reflection of Belperron’s fearless approach to design.
The Art of JAR
Joel Arthur Rosenthal, better known as JAR, is the elusive genius of contemporary jewellery, typically producing fewer than 100 pieces a year. He is the first living jeweller to be honoured with a retrospective at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is widely admired for his painterly use of colour, arranging stones in subtle gradations or dramatic contrasts that mimic brushstrokes. This auction presents more than ten of his creations, including a pair of diamond ear clips (Lot 7, circa 1987) shown at London’s Somerset House in 2002. Their design is like dendritic branches, studded with diamonds and glittering like frost, featuring two pear-shaped diamond solitaires.
JAR wild rose clip-brooches featuring natural pearls with pavé-set gemstones including citrine, yellow sapphire, sapphire, garnet, and amethyst
More JAR creations include vibrant naturalistic brooches, including a wild rose-inspired natural pearl, sapphire and garnet iteration (Lot 4), a deep blue version with natural pearl, amethyst and sapphire (Lot 2), and a sunny citrine, sapphire, and natural pearl rose (Lot 3) that’s dated to 1991.
Icons of Parisian Style
The ‘A Legacy of Elegance’ auction will also offer collectors access to jewels by some of Paris’ most prestigious houses. For example, there’s a sapphire and diamond ‘Grenade’ brooch by René Boivin (Lot 8), shaped as a voluptuous pomegranate, which was once part of heiress Daisy Fellowes’ collection. As the heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune, Fellowes was a major style icon in the early to mid-20th century. She reportedly loved naturalistic forms and often paired her jewels with a daring wardrobe, including creations by the iconic Elsa Schiaparelli. Few pieces from her collection have appeared at auction, making this brooch a rare glimpse into her extraordinary taste.
René Boivin 'Grenade' brooch set with a cushion-cut sapphire and mixed-cut diamonds in a gold frame
Another star of the show is a ruby and diamond laurel leaf necklace by Boucheron (Lot 5,circa 1888), set with approximately 40 carats of unheated cushion-cut Burmese and Thai rubies alongside 65 carats of Old Mine and Old European-cut diamonds and single-cut diamonds. This piece has passed through numerous hands, including American socialites Marie Louise Hungerford Mackay and Countess Mona Bismarck. Both women rose to prominence through their wealth and society connections and used their jewels to make lavish statements at Parisian gatherings.
Lastly, let’s turn our attention to a rare ruby and diamond bracelet by Cartier (Lot 6, circa 1930s) that spotlights the intricate invisible setting technique developed by the Parisian workshop Rubel Frères. Cartier registered a French patent for this ‘invisible setting’ in March 1933, which required each stone to be carefully grooved under the girdle and set without visible prongs – a process so delicate that many stones were often ruined in the attempt. However, Cartier rarely used the technique, which makes pieces like this auction lot incredibly rare and highly collectable. You may be interested to know that Van Cleef & Arpels also patented its signature serti mystérieux technique in 1933 (and was closely linked to Rubel Frères), which is based on the same principle.
The highlights of ‘A Legacy of Elegance: Jewels from an Exceptional Collection’ will tour the world before arriving in New York this December, with stops in Hong Kong, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, Taipei, Geneva and Los Angeles. With such extraordinary pieces on offer, this auction is set to be a thrilling evening to remember.
WORDS
Hirshi Sujanti began her career in marketing for luxury jewelry brands in India. However, she soon realized that her true calling lay in the art of storytelling. This epiphany led her to take on freelance projects as a writer for an Indian fashion brand and later for KaterinaPerez.com.
RelatedArticles
