The spotlight is on Elsa Schiaparelli, once again. She closed her shop in Paris almost six decades ago, yet her whimsical creations look as cutting edge as ever. Lady Gaga or Madonna could wear her shoe hat on stage and no one would bat an eye. Schiaparelli, or “Schiap,” as she was known (pronounced...
A calendar of the most important trade shows and antique jewelry fairs stateside for folks in the jewelry business.
Herewith, the most important jewelry and watch auctions around the world, updated regularly as dates are announced and e-catalogs are posted. JANUARY January 10, 2012: Jewellery and Watches, Bonhams, Oxford, UK January 11, 2012: Jewellery, Bonhams London, Knightsbridge January 18, 2012: Jewellery, Christie’s London, South Kensington FEBRUARY February 9, 2012: Important Jewels, Sotheby’s New...
Christie’s is claiming no less than a dozen world records for the December 13, 2011, auction, known officially as The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels evening sale. Day after the sale, I posted about five of them. With a haul of almost $116 million, the sale was the most valuable private collection...
Christie’s sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s famous jewels was anticipated to be the most important single-owner jewelry sale in a decade, but the results were staggering. Taylor’s jewelry went for $115,932,000 – the most ever paid for a private jewelry collection. World record prices were also set for pearls, diamonds, rubies and Indian jewels. Recession,...
Whether you’re in the mood for avant garde design, breathtaking gems, or historical treasures, here are some temporary exhibits of gems and jewelry worth a trip this year. Bijoux: The Origins and Impact of Jewelry, through February 26, 2012, at Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT, examines the impact of jewelry on our culture and environment...
Rahul Kadakia met Elizabeth Taylor at an auction in Cannes in 1999. “I was a young boy and here was Miss Taylor, Hollywood star and humanitarian, and she was right there beside me, helping me raise funds for the American Foundation for Aids Research,” says Kadakia. “I thought, you know, this is the mark...
In the heady world of Paris between the two world wars, Deco jewelry ruled – which made the bold jewels designed by Juliette Moutard of René Boivin and Suzanne Belperron stand out all the more. Christie’s Paris is offering three spectacular bracelets this month that typify that other style favored by sophisticated Parisians in...
John Bahr and Lynda Fullerton like to learn new things. Having designed jewelry together since 1990, they had the basics down a while ago. But they get bored easily so they developed an annual tradition. As each year draws to a close, they put their heads together and come up with something both want...
Among the rash of artist/goldsmith collaborations that came out in the sixties and seventies, Man Ray’s jewelry truly stands out. To see what I mean, visit the Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design and compare Man Ray’s dramatic sculptural designs to the wall of flat,...
Planning your big purchases - or just want to feast your eyes on the catalogs? Here's a list of this year's most important jewelry and watch auctions from New York to Hong Kong.
You know you’re obsessed with a show when you have to watch every behind-the-scenes special feature on the DVD. That’s where I’m at right now with The Good Wife. There’s one feature on the final disc of Season 1 called “Clothing the Characters,” that I highly recommend. It focuses on the show’s costume designer...
In case you were wondering, the Picasso in Picasso to Koons: Artist as Jeweler, opening next month at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC, is Pablo, not his daughter Paloma, who designed jewelry for Tiffany. Among the 135 pieces of jewelry by famous 20th century artists, you’ll find five by Pablo Picasso,...
If there was any doubt that red carpet minimalism is giving way to big gems and over-the-top glam, last night’s Emmy Awards proved it. And not just white diamonds – although there were plenty of those – but gems in all colors of the rainbow. Jewels by Lorraine Schwartz were a special case in...
Most of us know by now that Dali, Calder, even Picasso designed jewelry at some point. But Yoko Ono, Frank Stella, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons? Before Picasso to Koons went up at the Museum of Arts and Design last month, I didn’t know they designed jewelry. Most of it is from the collection of...
Who needs fertility treatments when you can wear jewelry instead – particularly, jewelry like this? Among the earliest treasures on display right now at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is this Nubian pendant of gold and rock crystal made around 740 B.C. with the golden head of Hathor, a goddess beloved in ancient...
