Exceptional Jewels & Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur's Collection - part I

Exceptional Jewels & Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur's Collection - part I

Sale Overview

This season, Christie’s is honoured to present Exceptional Jewels & Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur’s Collection, a distinguished single-owner collection celebrating the finest creations by Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Graff and David Morris.

Assembled with a discerning eye for beauty, artistry and technical mastery, the collection brings together rare jewels, precious objects and vanity cases. At its heart is a highly coveted group of Van Cleef & Arpels Mystery Set jewels featuring sapphires and rubies of outstanding quality.

A defining theme throughout the collection is an appreciation for craftsmanship. From Cartier’s exquisite enamel work in the early 20th century to the finest examples of laque burgauté and gemstone marquetry in the preceding era, each piece showcases a remarkable command of specialist techniques and meticulous attention to detail, many of which are rarely practised today.

Contemporary highlights include jewels by renowned houses such as Graff and David Morris, showcasing exceptional emeralds, sapphires, rubies and important coloured diamonds.

Complementing the jewellery is a superb group of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century gold boxes and objets de vertu. Together, these creations celebrate the highest standards of craftsmanship, bringing together artistic refinement, technical mastery and enduring beauty.

Exceptional Jewels and Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur’s Collection will be offered in a dedicated live auction at the Hotel des Bergues in Geneva on 10 November, featuring 123 exceptional pieces, followed by an online sale presenting a further 152 jewels from this prestigious ensemble.

Auction times
10 Nov 12:00 PM (CET)

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Angela Berden

Angela Berden

Head of Sale, Senior Specialist | Jewellery

Angela Berden is Senior Specialist of Christie’s European Jewellery team. Raised in a third-generation dealership of antique furniture, Angela deviated from the family business to pursue a life-long passion in jewellery. After studies in goldsmithing, Angela was accepted for an internship at Christie’s Amsterdam in 2004. This led to a move to London where she pursued her gemmological qualifications.

Angela joined the Jewellery Department of Christie’s London in 2005 and soon worked her way up to a specialist position where she handled landmark auctions including the collection of H.R.H Princess Margaret and the historic 35.56ct blue Wittelsbach Diamond which sold for $24m. In 2011, Angela was transferred to Geneva to further her specialist career and also seconded to Paris in 2013 acting as Head of Department. Now based in Geneva, Angela has worked on numerous international projects including Jewels for Hope, a $38m distinguished charity auction. More recently in May 2019, she was involved in the notable sales of a magnificent Fabergé tiara which achieved CHF1.3m and a 118ct cushion-cut yellow diamond at CHF7.1m. A Dutch national, Angela travels extensively throughout Europe for business-getting and enjoys meeting private jewellery collectors. She is also fluent in English, German and French.
Max Fawcett

Max Fawcett

Global Head of Jewellery | Jewellery

Max Fawcett was appointed Global Head of Jewellery in 2025, following his decade long tenure at Christie’s since joining the company in 2015. Based in Geneva, he leads Christie’s global Jewellery department, overseeing worldwide auctions, strategic business development, and client engagement across all major international markets.

A distinguished auctioneer with extensive experience across London, Geneva, Hong Kong and New York, Max has presided over numerous landmark sales. These include the celebrated Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence auction, which achieved over US$100 million in 2019—the highest total ever recorded for an auction of Indian art and Mughal jewelled objects—and the Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in November 2025 featuring the Mellon Blue diamond, the highest value jewellery lot of the year, which achieved US$25 million.

Max began his career in Munich as an apprentice with a historic antique jeweller founded in 1692. He later moved to New York, where he worked closely with Christie’s as a dealer specialising in coloured stones and natural pearls, with a particular focus on vintage jewellery. He subsequently joined Christie’s Geneva, where he continues to contribute to the firm’s global leadership in the jewellery market.
Isabelle Cartier-Stone

Isabelle Cartier-Stone

Specialist | Gold Boxes & Objects of Vertu

Isabelle Cartier-Stone first joined Christie’s in 1997 working in Geneva and Monaco before opening the first silver auctions in Paris in 2001 with the Karl Lagerfeld collection. In 2006, she became a consultant working on important sales such the Yves-Saint-Laurent collection in 2009 or the Pinto collection in 2017. During that period, she also wrote and contributed to several publications on French, Belgian and German silver. In 2018, she returned to Christie’s London working for the silver and the gold boxes departments. A specialist in continental silver, Isabelle has a strong interest in researching provenance and history of objects with a view to reaching a new audience of collectors.

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