Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels Rare Jewelry to Be Auctioned at Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s is gearing up for one of its most unique jewelry auctions.
The auction house is hosting its next jewelry auction, titled “From the Vault: Exceptional Signed Jewels,” on March 7, exhibiting rare, signed jewels from fine jewelry brands like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Webb, Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston and others from the 20th and 21st centuries. The pieces highlight the luxury jewelers’ signature motifs, such as the Bulgari Serpenti or Cartier Panthère.
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“A signature on a jewel really stands for quality — quality of design, quality of materials and quality of craftsmanship,” said Frank Everett, Sotheby’s vice chairman of jewels in the Americas. “We go to the great houses knowing that they stand for quality and that’s what you get.”
Sotheby’s jewelry auction offers more than 180 rare pieces with estimated sale prices ranging from $8,000 to $3 million.
On the higher end of the price spectrum, Sotheby’s is exhibiting the Van Cleef & Arpels gold and diamond zip necklace and earrings, which are estimated to sell for $400,000 to $600,000. Everett said the style is “the holy grail of the jewelry world” with a motif originally conceived by the Duchess of Windsor in the 1930s (the zipper was a new innovation at the time). Van Cleef & Arpels ultimately designed the unique necklace in the 1940s and it is known as one of the jeweler’s earliest zip pieces.
A more modern style in the auction is the Bulgari diamond Serpenti necklace, which is estimated to sell for $300,000 to $500,000. One of Bulgari’s most well-known motifs, this Serpenti style is covered in pavé diamonds and can be worn as a necklace, bracelet or even as a belt.
“They’re so well made,” Everett said about the collection. “We love vintage things because they are one-of-a-kind and often made in a way that can’t be replicated today. When you look back at the craftsmanship of bygone eras, it’s hard to replicate that, so they have the look and the feel of great vintage pieces and that’s what we love.”
Everett also named the Cartier Panthère Cuff Bracelet as another standout of the collection. The style is designed with diamonds, emeralds and onyx and is estimated to sell for $100,000 to $150,000.
“One of the things that we represent is such a tremendous value,” Everett said on the importance of this auction to Sotheby’s. “When you come to Sotheby’s, you’re acquiring these pieces that are not only rare, but auction is where the market value is determined. When people say, ‘what’s it worth?’ We say that will be decided by the final two bidders on the day of the auction. That’s one of the reasons we like to bring that type of thing to auction because that really is an exciting thing to see where the prices will go.”
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