SALE: Fine Jewelry
LOCATION: Skinner, 63 Park Plaza, Boston
DATE: December 10
ABOUT: Rare enamel bangles, natural pearls, and Pop art pendants are some of the finds at Skinner’s fine jewelry sale on December 10. The sale features more than 700 lots, led by an emerald cut diamond pendant (the proceeds from which will benefit Partners in Health) and an Art Deco Cartier ring set with a marquise diamond, each of which is expected to bring in $80,000 to $120,000. The sale overall is expected to make between $2.3 and $3.3 million.
All eyes will most likely be trained on a few spectacular items by the highly respected 20th-century jeweler Marie Zimmerman, whose work, though little-known, is sought after by connoisseurs and is included in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A pair of jade and enamel bangles, estimated to bring $25,000 to $35,000, exhibits, in its replication of ancient Chinese forms, the breadth of Zimmerman’s wide-ranging historical precedents. The auction will also offer three rare Zimmerman rings in a variety of materials, from amethyst to pink sapphire, all expected to go for under $10,000.
A number of other antique and art deco pieces will also go on the block, from the aforementioned Cartier ring and a matching bracelet ($30,000 to $50,000) to a silk and carved-gemstone evening bag with rose-cut diamond terminals (also Cartier), which is expected to bring in $5,000 to $7,000. Pearl enthusiasts should be charmed by a number of items, including a Chaumet natural pearl necklace ($40,000 to $60,000) and a Buccellati gold and cultured pearl bracelet ($8,000 to $12,000).
Other highlights include artist jewelry like Roy Lichtenstein’s “Modern Head” pendant/brooch ($2,000 to $3,000), a polychrome enamel piece featuring the artist's signature Ben-Day dots. And a kinetic ring by Pol Bury ($6,000 to $8000) features moveable rods embedded in a disc, all in 18-karat gold.
