Brilliant diamonds, rare Art Deco pieces in June 16 sale at Skinner

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. will host an auction of fine jewelry at its Boston gallery on Tuesday, June 16. Highlights include large diamonds of high color, Art Deco jewelry by Boucheron Paris, important Arts & Crafts jewels principally from famous Boston studio jewelers, and antique European jewelry formerly owned by the famed French actress Réjane. More than 700 lots will be featured, and Internet live bidding will be available through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Réjane, Belle Epoque Actress: History and Royal Gifts of Jewels

A special feature of this sale is a number of beautiful pieces passed down in the family of the Belle Epoque actress and early international celebrity Réjane (1865-1920). Réjane was a star of the popular theater and queen of French comedy, vaudeville and light drama. Her personality and intelligence also inspired the admiration of contemporary artists and intellectuals. She was the ideal Parisienne, a woman of great charm, elegance, and wit; and a fashion icon. A muse of the great Parisian couturier Doucet, Réjane was one of the best-dressed women in Paris.

Aubrey Beardsley sketched her at least six times in his brief career. Also, portraitist Giovanni Boldini painted no fewer than three portraits of his friend. Her likeness was also painted by Albert Besnard, John Singer Sargent, James Jacques Tissot and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Although not a conventional beauty, Réjane inspired her admirers with what one theater critic called a “fascination” that went beyond admiration of her vivacity, animation and lovely voice. Her close friend and counterpart in the field of tragedy, the actress Sarah Bernhardt, considered Réjane a genius. Marcel Proust was first among the intellectuals who were friends and supporters of Réjane. She was an influence in the character of “La Berma,” the actress in Proust’s novel The Remembrance of Things Past. Proust told a contemporary journalist: “I have a cult for Réjane, the great lady who has worn by turns the twin masks (of comedy and tragedy), who has put all her intelligence and all her heart into her innumerable magnificent roles…” He claimed that the memory of her tragic performances sent him into fits of depression.  

For many, Réjane represented the spirit of the age and what was best in French theater. When planning a flamboyant 18th century-themed costume ball, James Hazen Hyde, the heir to a vast New York fortune, made Réjane the centerpiece of the occasion. The Hyde Ball, heavily attended by high society, was perhaps the most lavish party of Belle Epoque America. Architects redesigned Sherry’s restaurant on Fifth Avenue to resemble the gardens at Versailles, complete with an orangerie, turf, armies of attendants in period livery, several orchestras, and the dancers of the Metropolitan Opera. Réjane appeared as Marie Antoinette, alighting from a sedan chair, and performed a skit written for the occasion. Hyde toasted her as “The Queen of the French Theater.” The social pages’ reviews of the party were very favorable, even if the revelation of its cost, and the source of those funds, ultimately set off the Wall Street scandal of 1905.  

Among her admirers was Tsar Nicholas II, a person of broad education relative to monarchs of the time. He was fluent in four major European languages and loved French drama. When the Tsar visited Paris in 1896 after the signing of the Franco-Russian Entente, the French government asked Réjane to perform for him at Versailles. In 1897, she traveled to St. Petersburg on the Tsar’s invitation to play at the Imperial Theater, which was usually off limits to foreign theater companies. The Tsar’s diaries, housed at the Alexander Palace, contain an entry mentioning his enjoyment of her performance. Through emissaries, the Tsar presented her with the ruby and diamond brooch offered in this sale as lot 395 (est. $15/20,000).

Boucheron Art Deco Jewels

A number of rare Boucheron Art Deco jewels will be featured in the sale, including a jadeite, onyx and diamond brooch (lot 741; est. $25/35,000); an art deco jadeite diamond and ruby bracelet, (lot 744, est. $15/20,000) and a fine 4.06 ct. emerald and diamond ring (lot 745, est. $20/30,000) with an AGTA report stating that the emerald is natural, untreated and of Colombian origin.  

Edward Oakes Arts & Crafts Highlights

A group of important Arts & Crafts jewelry by Boston Arts & Crafts maker Edward Oakes will be offered. The items include a 14K gold and platinum bracelet watch composed of nine elaborate panels, each highly decorated with scrolling floral and foliate motifs, (lot 566, est. $3/5,000); a platinum, aquamarine and diamond ring, set with a fancy-cut aquamarine and an old European-cut diamond (lot 567, est. $2/3,000); a sapphire and diamond brooch, designed as a wreath with 14K gold and platinum leaves (lot 568, est. $8/10,000); and finally a 14K gold, pink sapphire and diamond ring (lot 569, est. $2,5/3,500). Also featured is an Arts & Crafts moonstone and sapphire pendant necklace attributed to Boston jeweler Frank Gardener Hale (lot 570, est. $2,5/3,500). From the English Arts & Crafts movement comes a circa-1905 enamel, fire opal and freshwater pearl dog collar (lot 571, est. $25/35,000). The collar is possibly the work of the Guild of Handicraft or the Century Guild, both historically important designers of the era.

Diamond Highlights

The sale also offers two large diamonds of high color with GIA reports. The first is a platinum and diamond solitaire prong set with an emerald-cut diamond weighing 8.02 ct. (lot 742; est. $275/325,000) with a GIA report stating that the color and clarity is D/VS2. Furthermore, GIA identifies the diamond as the rare type IIa (less than 2% of all diamonds are type II), which are stones of “exceptional optical clarity.” Another fine solitaire is a 5.01 ct. round brilliant-cut diamond ring, with an F/VS1 report from GIA. (lot 723, $120-130,000). Finally, there is an unusual Art Deco platinum, colored diamond and diamond ring, bezel set with a 3.18 ct. fancy brownish orangey-yellow pear shape diamond with GIA report (lot 718, est. $15/20,000).   

An interesting signed item is a David Webb colored diamond and diamond ring, designed as three fused bands bezel-set with a step-cut cognac diamond weighing approx. 3.45 cts., as well as 26 further colored diamonds (lot 664, est. $8/12,000). Its provenance is the family of Helen Lee Caldwell, a leading designer of children’s clothes in Manhattan for three decades under the name Helen Lee.

Tiffany & Co.

Antiques from Tiffany & Co. include a heart shaped pearl and diamond pendant, set with a baroque pearl and framed by old European-cut diamonds (lot 715, est. $8/12,000) and an antique 18K gold and Limoges enamel brooch, depicting a cherub playing a violin among scrolling vines with blossoms (lot 390; est. $2/3,000).

Rare Patek Philippe Pocket Watch

Additional highlights include a 18K gold Patek Philippe gold open-face split-second chronograph pocket watch, circa 1922-23, (lot 480; est. $10/15,000). This model with three subsidiary dials is rarely offered at auction. There are several other Patek watches, including pocketwatches and a wristwatch.

Georg Jensen Collection

Finally, a large group of vintage and modern Georg Jensen is offered at the beginning of the auction (nearly 90 lots) and includes brooches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, and wristwatches. Highlights include a sterling silver fringe necklace (lot 27, est. $1,500/2,000); a 18K gold bracelet designed as alternating blossom and leaf motif links, (lot 37, est. $2/2,5000); 18K gold flower earrings (lot 43, est. $1/1,200); an 18K gold and cultured pearl brooch (lot 42, est. $1/1,500); 18K gold and cultured pearl ear pendants (lot 45, est. $1/1,500); and finally an 18K gold wristwatch with gray metal dial and blue leather strap (lot 68; est. $1/1,200).  

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 617-350-5400. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

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