DALLAS — The most desirable handbag in the world will take center stage during Heritage Auctions‘ May 4 Luxury Accessories Signature® Auction. The Hermes 35cm diamond matte white Himalayan niloticus crocodile Kelly – one of the rarest bags ever created – carries an estimate of $240,000-$260,000. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
The Hermes Kelly is encrusted with 229 diamonds totaling 8.08 carats set in 18K white gold hardware, but it’s not just the gems that make this handbag shine. Fashioned from the hide of Africa’s largest crocodilian, this wearable work of art features a spectacular but delicate ombre of smoky gray fading into luminous white – an effect that evokes the majestic snow-capped Himalayas for which the bag is named. Achieving the effect requires a painstaking process of delicate hand-dyeing and bleaching, a technique that becomes more difficult and time-consuming as the color lightens. Beyond that, as with all Hermes creations, the bag is carefully hand-stitched using two needles and a single piece of thread to ensure the permanency and impeccable finish of every stitch.
“This extraordinary creation is a masterwork of meticulous craftsmanship and exquisite artisanry,” said Heritage’s Director of Luxury Accessories, Private Sales & The Boutique Diane D’Amato. “Even more rare than its Birkin counterpart, the Himalayan Kelly is the Hermes piece produced in the most limited numbers, the holy grail being the 35cm diamond matte white Himalayan niloticus crocodile Kelly bag.”
The Himalayan design pays homage to the crocodile bags of the early 20th century when it was nearly impossible to remove all the natural pigment and texture from exotic skins. If not dyed black or brown, the skins would be lightened to highlight their natural coloring. As more sophisticated dyeing techniques were developed, resulting in a more extensive range of color options, the natural ombre coloration fell out of style. That is, until the early 1990s, when Hermes unveiled a new glossy green-brown ombre crocodile Kelly bag called Natura Vert Celadon – the Himalayan’s predecessor. Initially, Himalayan Birkins were sold only to the most loyal and dedicated collectors, but after Jean Paul Gaultier sent one down his spring runway in 2010, a collecting phenomenon was born. Hermes responded by crafting a limited number of Himalayan Kelly bags.
The diamond Himalayan Kelly isn’t the only Hermes stunner in the May 4 auction, however. The event also features Hermes bags in a variety of sizes and a rainbow of hues.
Among the highlights is a shiny rose Scheherazade crocodile Kelly Cut with an estimate of $26,000-$34,000. The eye-poppingly pink and easy-to-carry clutch features palladium hardware and makes a dramatic statement with its bold, bright color.
There is also a trio of bags in a range of gorgeous greens: a matte vert Rousseau alligator mini Kelly 20, estimated at $30,000-$40,000; a 30cm vert d’eau alligator Birkin, estimated at $30,000-$40,000; and a special order horseshoe vert criquet and vert bosphere bi-color Epsom leather mini Kelly, estimated at $14,000-$20,000.
Other Hermes standouts include a 40cm braise porosus crocodile Birkin with palladium hardware, estimated at $40,000-$50,000; a 25cm nata swift leather In and Out Retourne Kelly, estimated at $20,000-$24,000; a 25cm sesame toile and swift leather quadrille Sellier Kelly, estimated at $20,000-$24,000; and a gris perle Epsom leather mini Kelly 20, estimated at $14,000-$18,000. In addition, there are two great options in classic black: a 24cm black matte alligator and lizard Constance with an estimate of $24,000-$36,000, and a So Black box calf leather Kelly Pochette, estimated at $14,000-$20,000.
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