Sotheby’s has announced an auction, ‘A Legacy Of Elegance: Jewels From An Exceptional Collection’, a curation of signature pieces from prestigious jewellery houses at its new location, Breuer Building in New York, this December. It is a tour de force of more than 60 iconic pieces assembled for its prestigious debut in luxury jewellery auction, and expected to realise $8 million.
Sotheby’s is delighted to announce a landmark single-owner sale of extraordinary and highly important jewellery, coming to auction this December in New York. The extensive curation of design-driven jewels was assembled by a prominent international collector who, over the course of many decades, acquired outstanding pieces with a focus on the top Parisian houses, including Cartier, Boivin and Boucheron.
The core of the collection is formed by avant-garde designs by two of the most visionary artist-jewellers of the modern era: Suzanne Belperron and Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR).
Comprising over 60 pieces, ‘A Legacy of Elegance: Jewels from an Exceptional Collection’, will be a headline event of Sotheby’s inaugural luxury auctions at its new home in the iconic Breuer building in New York. Presented in a special evening sale on 8th December – the first evening jewellery auction at Sotheby’s New York in over a decade, and the first to be held at the Breuer building – this historic collection is expected to achieve in excess of $8 million, placing it among the most significant jewellery collections to come to market in recent years.
(Estimate $1,000,000 – $2,000,000)
Describing the collection, Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s Head of Jewels, Americas, and EMEA commented: “This collection stands out for its compelling variety of characteristics—rarity, distinguished authorship, impeccable provenance, and iconic design. It is a true celebration of connoisseurship, showcasing the finest jewels and artisans from the late 19th century through to the present day. Assembled with both passion and joy, these treasures were clearly deeply cherished and lovingly worn by their owner. Today, this exceptional collection takes its place alongside some of Sotheby’s most celebrated jewellery legacies in recent memory, including those of Mrs. Paul (Bunny) Mellon, Evelyn and Estée Lauder, Brooke Astor and Jayne Wrightsman.”
Select highlights from the sale will travel on a worldwide tour to Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai, Geneva, among others before returning for exhibition at the historic Breuer building on Madison Avenue beginning 5th December, alongside the auction of High Jewelry.
Catharine Becket, Sotheby’s Global Head of High Jewelry, said, “At the heart of this extraordinary collection are the works of Suzanne Belperron and JAR, true artists who, through extraordinary imagination, technical mastery and a renegade’s confidence, changed the course of jewellery design from the 1920s to today. Though created decades apart, their jewels were, and in the case of Mr. Rosenthal, continue to be, conceived for those who appreciate the unconventional, the unexpected and, in many cases, a flourish of eccentricity.
“This is a collector who, in possession of great scholarship and passion, has focused on the very best examples in all art forms, prioritising rarity, originality and superlative artistry.”
Suzanne Belperron: A Woman Ahead of Her Time
One of the few female jewellery designers of her time, Suzanne Belperron dedicated her life to the art of jewellery. She began her career at René Boivin in 1919 and steadily rose through the ranks to become the co-director of the Maison.
In 1932, she accepted an offer to work with the Parisian dealer Bernard Herz, where she continued to refine her distinct style and designs. From the 1930s to the mid‐ 1970s, Suzanne Belperron never stopped creating. Her jewels appeared in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and were featured by major photographers such as Cecil Beaton, George Hoyningen‐ Huene and Horst P. Horst.
Her prestigious cosmopolitan clientele consisted of royal families, financial magnates, Hollywood stars, as well as members of the intellectual and artistic elite, with pieces often commissioned by such figures as Elsa Schiaparelli, Diana Vreeland, and the Duchess of Windsor. In recognition of her remarkable contributions as a créatrice-joaillière, the French state awarded her the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1963.
Suzanne Belperron never signed her jewels, considering that their originality made them immediately identifiable.
When asked once why, she simply replied, “My style is my signature.”
Similarly, she never operated a traditional storefront or boutique under her own name, instead relying on word-of-mouth among her prestigious clientele and receiving them exclusively by appointment. The 20+ pieces in this collection reflect her many sources of inspiration and innovative approach to jewellery, which constitute the essence of her work.
Suzanne Belperron introduced unprecedented combinations of stones and minerals in her designs, creating pieces with exceptional contrasts as seen in the Pink Topaz, Aquamarine, Morganite and Diamond Necklace (estimate $250,000 – 350,000). Her hallmark bold, sculptural style is replaced by a delicate fluidity of construction and subtly shifting shades of pink. She continues to eschew the canon of jewellery design followed by her contemporaries through the unexpected colour contrast created by the cool blue of the aquamarines and the pastel pink of the topazes and morganites. Unlike most of her iconic bib necklaces which are set with jumbles of coloured cabochons, this piece presents a charming yet striking variation with its palette of faceted gemstones, completed by a substantial pear-shaped diamond.
JAR, the Visionary
Joel Arthur Rosenthal’s initials make up what has come to be the most revered name in jewellery design today. Working in Paris under the monogram, JAR, he has become the byword for the ultimate in near-untouchable artistry in gems and precious metals.
Born in New York City in 1943, Rosenthal graduated in art history and philosophy at Harvard before relocating to Paris. There, he opened a needlepoint shop, where his innovative use of unusual yarn colours quickly caught the attention of designers from Hermès and Valentino.
After a stint working with Bulgari in New York, he returned to Paris in 1977 to open a jewellery boutique alongside his partner, Pierre Jeannet. Tucked away at 7 Place Vendôme, the boutique bears no sign or window display—only the subtle initials hint at the treasures inside. Yet for jewellery connoisseurs, this discreet address is a place of pilgrimage, a beloved destination for style icons, tastemakers, and collectors who cherish his artistry.
Since Rosenthal began creating his own designs in the 1980s, he has elevated his craft to the level of a true art form, introducing a depth of meaning, cultural layers, beauty and poetry, and poignancy that had been missing in precious jewellery for decades.
The first living jeweller to have a retrospective at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, JAR was described by the museum as a ‘contemporary artist of gems,’ known for his painterly selection of gem-colour, mixing stones to create subtle gradations or vibrantly arresting contrasts. Deliberately disregarding traditional notions of rarity, he selects each stone for its singular beauty, tone, fire, sheen – and painstakingly arranges them in intricate compositions that express the natural idiosyncrasies of organic shapes or floral patterns in such a way to bring his creative visions to life. Producing fewer than 100 pieces a year, JAR creates jewels of unusual dynamism and architectural depth.
Illustrating the collector’s remarkable eye for the finest craftsmanship and inventive design, the selection will feature more than 10 exquisite jewels by JAR, many of which were displayed at the artist’s blockbuster exhibition at London’s Somerset House in 2002.
Leading the ensemble is this impressive Pair of Diamond Earclips exemplifying Joel Arthur Rosenthal’s virtuosity in translating fantastical concepts into masterfully wrought jewels (estimate $500,000 – 700,000). Exhibited at London’s Somerset House in 2002, the imposing scale of these ear clips is countered by the fragility of dendritic branches evoking the ephemeral nature of frost. Mr. Rosenthal has been hailed as the Fabergé of our time—a comparison that speaks to his technical brilliance—but the title doesn’t give sufficient weight to his boundless imagination that surpasses the ingenuity of even the greatest Russian work masters. He wields his genius fearlessly to create otherworldly, often surrealist, wearable works of art.
JAR’s exploration of organic motifs spans a spectrum of slight abstraction to hyperrealism. Mr. Rosenthal may be credited with igniting a “pavé-set revolution,” inspiring so many copyists that the technique is now foundational to 21st-century jewellery design.