Showstoppers. That’s how my mother described her favorite moments. And she wasn’t bashful when it came to pushing for those moments. That compulsion for success made her well known across Miami for her business and philanthropic pursuits.
There was much more to her than this, of course. She was fully devoted to my father, my brother Hardy and me, and she was wild about her grandson, my son Liam. She demanded endless photos of Liam, and there was hell to pay if I didn’t speak to her daily or phone to say I’d gotten home safely from travels abroad, even well into my forties!
My mother combined this intense capacity for love with her drive for success in business; she took great pride in helping her friends reap the rewards of those successes alongside her. Her philanthropy was likewise deeply rooted in the causes she supported, and there were many.
Her love of animals in particular mirrored the evolution of our understanding of the importance of conservation and protecting animals. I remember vividly the wonder my mother felt when she received as a gift the now infamous leopard skin coat that Oleg Cassini originally designed for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the early 1960s. That wonder quickly devolved into sadness as she began to contemplate the magnificent wild cats that had perished in the name of fashion. She never wore that coat.
My mother became devoted to protecting abused and abandoned animals across the South Florida community. Her “Pawpurazzi” events for the Humane Society were indeed showstoppers – and they spurred incredible support. She approached her jewelry collection with the same passion. Proud that she and her husband had worked so hard for their shared success, she wore that success in part as a beautiful collection of jewels from Bulgari, Cartier, David Webb and others.
Her love of animals is evident in that collecting as well. My mother would be pleased that proceeds from her collection will help conserve the big cats whose forms are represented so beautifully in jewels and metal throughout her collection. She believed strongly that if animals mesmerized us at home, in fashion and in media, that we should do much more to protect them. My mother took pride in the moments she worked so hard for, but she always claimed that the real showstoppers were God’s beautiful creatures. We miss her.
–Mark D. Wallace, March 2021
Important Jewels from the Collection of Patricia Wallace
