A spectacular selection of jewels from the private collection of style icon and tastemaker, Victoria Lady de Rothschild (1949-2021), will be offered alongside a special selection of silver and tableware from her collection, in Dreweatts Fine Silver, Jewellery and Pens sale on March 8th & 9th, 2022.
Victoria’s personal style in jewels was very simple and cleanly stylish and therefore her jewels were predominantly statement beads by new designers and craftsmen.
James Nicholson, Deputy Chairman and International Head of Jewellery, Silver and Watches at Dreweatts, said, “Dreweatts is delighted to offer a wonderful selection of modern jewels from the personal collection of Victoria Lady de Rothschild. She was a true champion of modern design and supported upcoming designers and artisans, which is demonstrated by the exciting pieces offered in the sale. Her impeccable taste was much celebrated and I’m sure therefore that this collection will prove to be very popular.”
Among the highlights is a Modernist gold coloured disc necklace by popular American jeweller and sculptor Irena Borzena Ustjanowski, known artistically as ‘IBU’ (1944-2002). She was a pioneering jeweller, who many favoured for her contemporary vision, something that would have corresponded with Victoria’s taste for breaking boundaries. Although she tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2002, her enduring style lives on in the IBU gallery at the Palais Royal gardens in Paris. It carries an estimate of £4,000-£6,000.
A Modernist gold coloured disc necklace by popular American Modernist jeweller and sculptor Irena Borzena Ustjanowski (IBU). Estimate £4,000-£6,000
Picture courtesy of Dreweatts
A Boucheron pink sapphire and ruby ring features a coiled serpent set with circular cut rubies and pink sapphires. Its eyes are set with cabochon emeralds and the tip of its tail comprises a cut black diamond. The piece is signed Boucheron, the name of the celebrated Parisian jewellery makers who were founded in 1858, when Frédéric Boucheron opened a boutique under the arcades of the Palais Royal. His pioneering designs won him a gold medal at the Paris World Fair in 1867 and in 1893 he became the first jeweller to open a shop on the revered Place Vendôme. Since then clients have ranged from Royalty to celebrity and their pieces are highly coveted for their distinctiveness and quality. This unique ring carries an estimate of £2,000-£3,000.
Picture courtesy of Dreweatts
A lapis lazuli and gold coloured necklace attributed to the contemporary British designer Jacqueline Ryan, was a firm favourite in Victoria Lady de Rothschild’s collection.
A lapis lazuli and gold coloured necklace attributed to the contemporary British designer Jacqueline Ryan. Estimate £1,500-£2,000
Picture courtesy of Dreweatts
Her contemporary designs derive from nature and are created as if natural organic forms. In her own words she says: “’Most of my pieces are preceded by studies derived from living organisms, marine plants, flowers, or seeds and other found objects, with the occasional aid of macrophotography that capture some of the finer-scale qualities more difficult to perceive with the naked eye. Repetition, naturally occurring in nature, is a recurrent theme that runs through much of my work, as well as movement in which the composite shapes and forms from which my work is constructed move and sway with the body and sometimes jingle and rattle – quietly giving the work a pleasant tactile dimension and interacting with the wearer so that the piece may be animated and alive. I feel that my work has completed its cycle when it has found its wearer.”
The necklace found a suitable wearer in Victoria, who was inventive in her style, affording her a place on the ‘best dressed list’, even though she always refused to be photographed. The dramatic form of the necklace makes it a true statement piece. It carries an estimate of £1,500-£2,000.
