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13 QUAI DU MONT-BLANC 1201 GENEVA T +41 22 908 4814 F +41 22 908 4805 WWW.SOTHEBYS.COM

PRESS RELEASE Press Office Contact: Frédéric Leyat: +41 22 908 4814 [email protected]

MAGNIFICENT JEWELS AND NOBLE JEWELS TO BE AUCTIONED BY SOTHEBY'S IN GENEVA ON MAY 15, 2008

FROM THE DAISY FELLOWES COLLECTION Tiara set with diamonds, early 19th century Estimate: CHF/$ 60,000-100,000*

GENEVA, APRIL 2008 – Sotheby’s forthcoming sale of Magnificent Jewels will take place in Geneva on Thursday May 15, 2008 at the Beau-Rivage Hotel. For the second consecutive year, a special session will be devoted exclusively to Noble Jewels. David Bennett, Chairman, Europe and the Middle East, Sotheby’s International Jewellery Department, said: “Following the success of last year’s sale of Noble Jewels, we are very pleased to announce that our Spring Jewellery auction will be once again highlighted by jewels with noble provenance. Sotheby’s is continuing its long tradition of offering aristocratic jewels at auction, as with the sale of the Duchess of Windsor’s collection in 1987, jewels from the princely house of Thurn und Taxis in 1992 and French Crown Jewels in 1997. In November 2005, Sotheby’s sold a Russian Imperial necklace that belonged to Empress Catherine the Great. In addition to the Noble Jewels section, the Spring sale will feature 64 pieces from the prestigious collection of Lily Marinho (see separate press release) as well as important diamonds and precious stones from various owners. Enthusiasts and collectors of exceptional jewellery should, once again, find much to inspire them”.

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NOBLE JEWELS Among the jewels of noble provenance to be auctioned in May are two very fine pieces from the Collection of Daisy Fellowes. Of American and French origin, Daisy Fellowes was born in Paris in 1890. From the 1920s onwards, she was one of the uncrowned queens of the social scene and a fashion leader. Regarded as one of the most glamorous and elegant women of the 20th century, Daisy Fellowes’ collection of jewellery matched her unique image. A number of her pieces were auctioned by Sotheby’s in Geneva in 1991 and 2005. Daisy was renowned for her passion for jewellery and her collection was so celebrated in her lifetime that the news media and fashion press relayed to the world reports of the latest pieces she was seen wearing. Daisy Fellowes patronised the leading jewellers of her time, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boivin and Jean Schlumberger. The jewels from her collection to be offered in Geneva have not been on the market Daisy Fellowes, Archives Cecil Beaton, Sotheby’s

previously.

They include an exquisite tiara dating from the early 19th century. Set with diamonds in the shape of oak leaves, it is estimated at $/CHF 60,000-100,000 (illustrated on the cover page). Also included is a cabochon sapphire-set ring dating from the 1930s, its mount inlaid with diamonds and cabochon sapphires (estimate: $/CHF 20,000-30,000 / illustrated right).

Also in the sale are some very fine pieces from the Collection of Henriette de l’Espine, S.A.S. La Princesse Louis de Croÿ, including a topaz and diamond bracelet, dating from circa 1830 (estimate: $/CHF 32,000-48,000). The central oval pink topaz can be detached to be worn as a brooch. The strong pink colour of the stone is set off by vine leaf motifs set in diamonds. Another highlight of the collection is a mid-19th century diamond devant de corsage, its design inspired by nature (estimate: $/CHF 80,000-110,000) and an impressive and important diamond corsage ornament, signed by Vever, circa 1900 (estimate: $/CHF 155,000-235,000/ illustrated above left). This piece has remained in the same family collection for a century and is one of the most important pieces of French Belle Epoque jewellery to come to the market for many years.

3 Another sale highlight is an impressive 206.82 carat sapphire pendant set with diamonds, created by Cartier in 1951. Formerly in the collection of the Duchess of Windsor, this piece is estimated at $/CHF 1.1-1.5 million. Throughout their lives together, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor shared a passion for jewellery and commissioned many pieces from some of the greatest jewellers of their time. Those ordered by Edward for Wallis were often based on his own ideas, for he derived considerable pleasure from the creative hours spent watching master jewellers at work.

The auction of the Duchess of Windsor’s jewellery collection created a sensation in Geneva in April 1987. Jewellery lovers and collectors rubbed shoulders with history enthusiasts at the event. And while some simply wanted a chance to see or bid farewell to the magnificent jewels of the lady who had lit up post-war French high society and for whom the King

of

England

had

abdicated,

others

cherished the secret hope of capturing part of the legend for themselves. A marquee had to be set up on the lakeside in front of the BeauRivage Hotel, which could not cope with the crowds who attended. For two days, as many as 2,000 people followed the two auction sessions from the marquee or the hotel. The collection was broken down into over 250 lots, including 87 pieces signed by Cartier, the Duke and Duchess’s favourite jeweller, and 23 items by Van Cleef & Arpels. Many of these pieces bore personal inscriptions, such as “My Wallis from her David 19/3/36”, engraved on a ruby and diamond necklace signed Van Cleef The Duchess of Windsor, Cecil Beaton Archives, Sotheby’s

& Arpels. Each of the lots offered found buyers, and the collection fetched a total of CHF 75.4

million ($50.2 million) – to this day a record for a single owner jewellery collection at auction. In accordance with Wallis’s final wishes, the entire proceeds of the sale were donated to the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

The Noble Jewels sale also includes a fine pearl and diamond tiara from

an

aristocratic

collection

(illustrated right). This piece, set with diamonds and estimated at $/CHF 120,000-160,000, is designed as a garland of stylised myrtle leaves. It is embellished with seven pearls, and part of the garland detaches to be worn as a brooch.

4 A diamond tiara dating from circa 1900 (illustrated left) from the collection of a European Princely Family, is estimated at $/CHF 50,000-80,000. The central diamond rivière was probably commissioned by Carl, Count Scheel-Plessen, either circa 1882 – for the occasion of his marriage to his wife Louise or in 1896, when his Danish title of Greve (Count) was recognised by Prussia. This rivière was later used as the central piece of the tiara included in the auction.

Another piece from the Collection of a Noble Family included in the sale is a brooch bringing together two miracles of nature, the pearl and the diamond. The rarity and beauty of a natural pearl, paired with the extreme purity of

a

diamond,

historically compared with crystal-clear water and frequently associated with the ancient Indian fortress at Golconda, is a real marvel. Dating from the first half of the 19th century, this natural pearl and diamond brooch is estimated at $/CHF 400,000-600,000 (illustrated right).

An important emerald and diamond sautoir from the 1930s, the property of a British Noble Family, is expected to fetch $/CHF 160,000-240,000.

The auction includes a very fine enamel and diamond cocktail watch made in 1924 by Cartier, inscribed to the reverse with a facsimile signature ‘Elizabeth 1924’ (estimate: $/CHF 6,000-10,000 / illustrated right).

In the 1930s, the Duchess of York, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, gave this watch to her personal companion Katta Maclean, whom she valued greatly. After leaving the Duchess’ service, Katta Maclean and her two sisters leased the Dores Inn on the shores of Loch Ness, and she herself subsequently gave the watch to the present owner, a friend of the Maclean sisters.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and wife of Prince Albert, had been given the watch by her brother-in-law, the future King Edward VIII of England. Following his abdication in 1936, Prince Albert was crowned George VI of England, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon became his Queen.

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MAGNIFICENT JEWELS The diamond owes its incomparable beauty to its unique capacity for capturing light, holding it, fragmenting it and dispersing it, glittering as nothing else can. The various possible cuts enhance this effect still further. A diamond’s colour often depends on the mine from which it came; it can be white, yellow, green, blue, pink, red or brown.

Once again, the diamonds offered in Sotheby’s Spring auction this year are in a variety of colours; they include a Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond, oval-cut and weighing

5.06

carats

(estimate:

$/CHF 2.35-2.85 million / illustrated above left) and a Fancy Vivid Blue pearshaped diamond of 3.73 carats1, potentially flawless (illustrated right), offered with an estimate of $/CHF 2.8-3.5 million. These two very fine stones are both mounted as rings.

Also in the sale is a magnificent pear-cut diamond, Fancy Deep Yellow-Brown in colour, weighing 41.73 carats and suspended from a diamond necklace. It is estimated at $/CHF 310,000510,000.

Among the coloured gemstones on offer is a ring set with an extremely rare 14.63 carat Burmese ruby which is estimated at $/CHF 2-3 million (illustrated left). There is general agreement among gemmologists that the greatest rubies in the world come from mines in a small area of Northern Myanmar (Burma), close to the town of Mogok. They would also agree that such rubies rank among the rarest of precious stones. Sotheby’s is therefore proud to be offering this superb Burmese ruby at auction.

A

magnificent

bracelet

composed of four rows of emerald beads separated by brilliant-cut and baguette diamonds also features in the sale (estimate: $/CHF 100,000-150,000 / illustrated right). Emeralds, together with diamonds, rubies and sapphires, are among the four most precious of stones. The colour of this gemstone, whose name derives from the Greek word smaragdos, meaning ‘to shine’ is so unique that any colour approximating to it is described as ‘emerald green’.

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In October 2007, a 6.04 carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond was sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for over $7.98 million (world record price per carat for any gem stone at auction - $1,321,495).

6 In the late 1920s, Van Cleef & Arpels signed a very fine sautoir included in the sale, a detail of which is shown on the left2. Set with diamonds of various cuts, this necklace’s geometric design is typical of the 1920s, suspending a diamond tassel pendant (illustrated left). As was the fashion at the time, the necklace separates into bracelets, a choker and a pendant. It is estimated at $/CHF 150,000-250,000.

A very fine necklace dating from 1905 from a private collection is also likely to be of interest to lovers and collectors of vintage jewellery. At the centre of its octagonal pendant is an octagonal emerald encircled by diamonds. Mounted on a chain, it is magnificently finished off by a droplet of diamonds. It is estimated at $/CHF 80,000-120,000.

In addition, the sale includes a collection of Art Deco pieces from a private collection, signed by jewellers such as Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier. Although the term Art Deco was not used until the 1960s, the Art Deco style came on the scene as early as 1910 in France, in reaction to Art Nouveau, the shapes of which were regarded as ‘soft’. The movement away from this style involved the adoption of simple lines and rectangular forms, drawing inspiration from Cubism in particular. Art Deco achieved acclaim at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925.

Under its influence, Van Cleef & Arpels created, in 1929, a very fine brooch representing a lamp and characterised by purity of line. Its delicately sculpted emerald base supports a moonstone shade inlaid with diamonds and emeralds. The light bulb is simulated by a ruby. This piece is estimated at $/CHF 20,000-30,000 and is illustrated above right.

A few years previously, in 1926, Cartier signed an Oranger hat pin in rock crystal, black onyx and diamonds 3 (estimate: $/CHF 30,000-40,000/illustrated left). The piece was created for Jean-Philippe Worth (1856-1926), the father-in-law of Louis Cartier, who, along with his brother Gaston, was a director of the House of Worth, the renowned Parisian haute couture house, which had been founded by their father, Charles Frederick Worth.

For further information or illustrations, please contact the press office: [email protected]

ALL SOTHEBY'S PRESS RELEASES ARE PUBLISHED ON WWW.SOTHEBYS.COM * Estimates do not include buyer’s premium

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David Bennett & Daniela Mascetti, Understanding Jewellery, Antique Collector’s Club, 1989, this necklace is illustrated in plate 527 Hans Nadelhoffer, Cartier, Editions du Regard, 1984, this brooch is illustrated in plate 11

7 MAGNIFICENT JEWELS, NOBLE JEWELS AND JEWELS FROM THE COLLECTION OF LILY MARINHO

Sale Thursday, May 15, 2008 at • • • •

10.30am 2.30pm 5.00pm 7.00pm

Session I: Magnificent Jewels Session II: Magnificent Jewels Session III: Noble Jewels Session IV: Magnificent Jewels and Jewels from the Collection of Lily Marinho

Pre-sale exhibition

• • • • • •

Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

May 10, 2008 from 10.00am to 6.00pm May 11, 2008 from 10.00am to 6.00pm May 12, 2008 from 10.00am to 6.00pm May 13, 2008 from 10.00am to 6.00pm May 14, 2008 from 10.00am to 6.00pm May 15, 2008 from 10.00am to 2.30pm (Sessions 3 and 4)

Beau-Rivage Hotel, 13 Quai du Mont-Blanc, 1201 Geneva