L’École’s art historians on some of the 20th century’s most feted luminaries, and the jewelry collections that personified them.
Princess Grace of Monaco, Maria Callas, Mary de Rothschild, Wallis Simpson, the duchess of Windsor — these icons of glamour all shared a common trait: their choice of jewelry reflected their personalities.
“Look at their jewelry as a prism. You can find out everything that matters to [these] people through their jewelry. They bought what they loved and made it matter,” explained art historian Inezita Gay-Eckel, speaking at an evening conversation on Europe’s great jewelry collectors, hosted by L’École, School of Jewelry Arts, in New York City on February 26.
When the Duchess of Windsor’s jewels were auctioned by Sotheby’s in Geneva in 1987, they sold for a record $53.5 million. But according to fellow art historian Beatrice Del Favero, who also spoke at the event, “the only way you can talk about her jewels is as an extraordinary love story between Simpson, the American divorcee, and the Duke of Windsor who, as King Edward VIII [of the United Kingdom], renounced the throne for her.”
Del Favero highlighted how the duke smothered Simpson in jewels, and that the pieces were “highly personal tokens symbolizing events in their lives.” A Cartier bracelet of crosses gifted by the royal, for instance, included an unadorned platinum cross marking their first meeting, as well as a diamond, emerald, sapphire and ruby-studded piece celebrating their marriage. Other items were much more elaborate, said Del Favero — often dripping in sapphires in shades of “Wallis blue”, with examples including her Suzanne Belperron necklace and earrings.
More famous collectors
Grace Kelly was Hollywood royalty before she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. Gay-Eckel noted that he gave her two Cartier engagement rings: the first, a band of diamonds and rubies; the second, a more star-worthy piece featuring a diamond weighing in excess of 10 carats, which she wore in the movie High Society.
However, Princess Grace also differentiated between her “official” and personal jewelry, like the diamond-encrusted animal pins she wore while playing with her children. “It was all about family – even her jewels,” said Gay-Eckel.
Maria Callas reigned over the world of opera, but jewels helped create her persona. She was once interviewed with a tray of diamond jewelry on her lap, revealed the art historians, and often wore a 37.56-carat emerald ring while performing La Traviata. And just imagine the fabulous jewels from her lover Aristotle Onassis — even if the only recorded gift from him was a bracelet and earrings in coral and turquoise set with pearls.
Gay-Eckel and Del Favero completed their review with a look at Mary de Rothschild, who had an eclectic sense of style, but loved pearls. Fulco di Verdura created a pearl necklace of varying sizes for her, which fell into an S-shape gathered with diamonds in the center. She also favored a necklace inspired by a real piece of seaweed and interpreted by Juliette Moutard in pink tourmaline and turquoise.
Diverse yet individual, de Rothschild’s entire collection was auctioned in 2015 to benefit the visual history archive and education body, the USC Shoah Foundation.
Main image: The Duchess of Windsor wearing her Chardon clip by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1937. Image: Cecil Beaton/Sotheby’s Picture Library.
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