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Lot Essay
Unmistakable to the eye, exceptionally crafted by design, the “Mystery-set” or “Serti Mysterieux” is a delicate and precise technique of which only few jewelers have mastered. A testament to this skill, only pieces crafted by the best Van Cleef & Arpels jewelers earn the title ‘Mystery-set’. Often imitated, this unique style of setting colored stones was patented in the 1930s by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Thoughtfully designed, the Mystery-set setting uses a series of lattices, often in gold or platinum, rather than using traditional prongs or a claw-style setting. These lattices form a net, visible only from the reverse of the jewel, which carefully holds each gemstone in place. Richly saturated rubies, sapphires and delicate emeralds are cut with the utmost precision - each stone faceted with a special groove below the girdle, allowing them to slide gently along the lattice and sit snugly to one another. Taking on average over 1,200 hours to complete a singular ‘Mystery-set’ jewel, the resulting creation is combination of color, beauty and prowess. Butterflies, long admired for their ethereal and graceful nature, have been an important motif for Van Cleef & Arpels and seen throughout their high jewelry collections. The present lot evokes a sense of lightness and movement as the wearer moves with the jewel.
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Christie’s is honored to present Modern Icons: Jewels from an Important Family Collection, an iconic collection featuring exquisite colored gemstones and contemporary masterpieces from distinguished jewelry maisons including Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Assembled by a single family over the past thirty years, this collection marks one of the most substantial displays of contemporary high jewelry to be presented at auction.
The Modern Icons collection reflects a refined dialogue between heritage and modernity, shaped by the discerning vision of the collectors’ whose taste gravitates towards contemporary expression with bold elegance. Drawn to the clean lines and imaginative use of color that defines the great jewelers of today, the collectors have assembled a group of jewels that speaks not only to detailed craftsmanship, but to a distinct modern sensibility.
Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels each are houses long celebrated for their designers’ ability to reinterpret tradition through a contemporary lens. The bold use of color and volume of the various colored gemstone cabochons in Lot 41, a Bulgari Multi-Gem and Diamond Necklace, harkens back to the ‘La Dolce Vita’ jewelry of the 1950s and 1960s, a period for which Bulgari’s innovation is highly regarded. Since its launch in 1914, Cartier’s ‘Panthère’ collection has been a mainstay for the house. With this collection featuring a ‘Panthère’ ring, brooch, pair of earrings and two necklaces, it is clear that the dynamic motif, both in figural and abstracted forms, appealed to the collectors. One of the most precise skills of the master jewelers at Van Cleef & Arpels is the ‘Mystery-set’ technique, first developed in the 1930s and seen in Lot 32, a contemporary ‘Between the Finger’ ring. The collectors’ understanding and appreciation for quality extended to colored stones as seen in Lot 39, featuring an exceptional Colombian emerald of 12.89 carats.
The resulting collection is a vibrant ensemble of jewels by various maisons united by a shared aesthetic of clarity, confidence and modern allure. Defined by saturated colors and use of iconic motifs in imaginative presentations, Modern Icons: Jewels From an Important Family Collection reimagines the codes of the past for a new era of collectors who value legacy and individuality.
Thoughtfully designed, the Mystery-set setting uses a series of lattices, often in gold or platinum, rather than using traditional prongs or a claw-style setting. These lattices form a net, visible only from the reverse of the jewel, which carefully holds each gemstone in place. Richly saturated rubies, sapphires and delicate emeralds are cut with the utmost precision - each stone faceted with a special groove below the girdle, allowing them to slide gently along the lattice and sit snugly to one another. Taking on average over 1,200 hours to complete a singular ‘Mystery-set’ jewel, the resulting creation is combination of color, beauty and prowess. Butterflies, long admired for their ethereal and graceful nature, have been an important motif for Van Cleef & Arpels and seen throughout their high jewelry collections. The present lot evokes a sense of lightness and movement as the wearer moves with the jewel.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Christie’s is honored to present Modern Icons: Jewels from an Important Family Collection, an iconic collection featuring exquisite colored gemstones and contemporary masterpieces from distinguished jewelry maisons including Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. Assembled by a single family over the past thirty years, this collection marks one of the most substantial displays of contemporary high jewelry to be presented at auction.
The Modern Icons collection reflects a refined dialogue between heritage and modernity, shaped by the discerning vision of the collectors’ whose taste gravitates towards contemporary expression with bold elegance. Drawn to the clean lines and imaginative use of color that defines the great jewelers of today, the collectors have assembled a group of jewels that speaks not only to detailed craftsmanship, but to a distinct modern sensibility.
Bulgari, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels each are houses long celebrated for their designers’ ability to reinterpret tradition through a contemporary lens. The bold use of color and volume of the various colored gemstone cabochons in Lot 41, a Bulgari Multi-Gem and Diamond Necklace, harkens back to the ‘La Dolce Vita’ jewelry of the 1950s and 1960s, a period for which Bulgari’s innovation is highly regarded. Since its launch in 1914, Cartier’s ‘Panthère’ collection has been a mainstay for the house. With this collection featuring a ‘Panthère’ ring, brooch, pair of earrings and two necklaces, it is clear that the dynamic motif, both in figural and abstracted forms, appealed to the collectors. One of the most precise skills of the master jewelers at Van Cleef & Arpels is the ‘Mystery-set’ technique, first developed in the 1930s and seen in Lot 32, a contemporary ‘Between the Finger’ ring. The collectors’ understanding and appreciation for quality extended to colored stones as seen in Lot 39, featuring an exceptional Colombian emerald of 12.89 carats.
The resulting collection is a vibrant ensemble of jewels by various maisons united by a shared aesthetic of clarity, confidence and modern allure. Defined by saturated colors and use of iconic motifs in imaginative presentations, Modern Icons: Jewels From an Important Family Collection reimagines the codes of the past for a new era of collectors who value legacy and individuality.