Lot 1954
  • 1954

UNIQUE KASHMIR SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING, CIRCA 1938, Van Cleef & Arpels

Estimate
3,200,000 - 4,000,000 HKD
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Description

  • Van Cleef & Arpels
  • sapphire, diamonds, gold
Centring on an invisibly-set cushion-shaped sapphire weighing 7.54 carats, framed by tapered baguette diamonds, the shank accented with brilliant-cut diamonds, the diamonds together weighing approximately 5.40 carats, mounted in platinum plated with 18 karat yellow gold, signed and numbered N.Y. 42059, ring guard fitting.




Provenance

The Estate of Cornelius Vander Starr, Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc., New York, 2 June 1971, lot 122.

Condition

Colour and Clarity: According to both Gübelin and AGL reports, this sapphire is natural, of Kashmir origin, with no indication of thermal treatment. Please refer to the report for details. In our opinion, the sapphire is of medium, saturated blue colour, with classic velvety brilliance, lively stone. The sapphire is very clean, even upon loupe check, and has a very pleasing outline. Diamonds are about F to G colours, VVS to VS clarity. Signed VCA and numbered to the shank. Condition: Platinum plated with 18 karat yellow gold ring mount, show signs of wear and surface scratches to the metal, consistent with age, otherwise in very good condition. This Kashmir sapphire ring was a unique design by Rene Sim Lacaze, similar to the marriage contract bracelet of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. This ring was fabricated in 1938 in Paris. Offered by a New York auction house in 1971 as part of the estate of Cornelius Vander Starr, this ring was subsequently bought back by VCA and stamped with a new NY number to the shank. Cornelius Vander Starr (1892-1968), Founder of AIG, Shanghai, China 1919 Early Life: Starr was born in Fort Bragg, California, Oct. 15, 1892. His father died when he was only two years old, and his mother had to take in boarders to make ends meet. His first business at the age of nineteen was an ice cream parlor in Fort Bragg. After selling the business for $1000, he moved to San Francisco. By day Neil sold auto insurance, while at night he studied for the California bar exam. Several months after arriving he passed the California bar. In 1918 Starr joined the U.S. army, but was never sent overseas. After mustering out as a sergeant he joined the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and shipped out as a clerk working in Yokohama, Japan. Later that year, looking for better opportunity, he left Japan and traveled to Shanghai where he worked for several insurance businesses. AIG: In 1919, Cornelius Vander Starr, at the age of 27, founded AIG in Shanghai, then known as American Asiatic Underwriters. He hired Jacob Greenberg as his driver, saw exceptional promise in the young man, paid for his education and hired him as a trainee. Jacob was Maurice "Hank" Greenberg's father. In insurance and other areas of international business Starr achieved greatness. The business thrived and expanded. He hired Chinese for positions of responsibility, something unheard of among foreign companies. Starr became known as the gentle Laopan of AIG, a title Chinese confer, unusually upon their own, which was no exact English equivalent but denotes both a form of address such as "Sir" and also one who is something of a respected patriarch/entrepreneur. Within a few years the company was called yu pang, or "friendly country" by the people it served. By 1926, the company had grown to such an extent that a liaison office was opened in New York. AIG stayed in Shanghai through World War II and during the Japanese occupation it was reported that Starr worked quietly from the U.S. service of the OSS. In 1949, with the approaching Communist People's Liberation Army of Mao Zedong, Starr reluctantly moved his company headquarters to New York. AIG was once the world's largest insurance company, and the sixth largest company in the United States according to the 2007 Forbes Global 2000 list. Personal Life: Starr married in 1937 at the age of 44 to Mary Malcolm, some twenty years his junior, and the daughter of a Canadian missionary in China. Starr had fallen deeply in love. She was beautiful and enjoyed the arts, but was not particularly materialistic. Both loved traveling, and with marriage Neil seemed to brim full of interests old and new. However, the marriage ended unhappily after 15 years. He was left without his wife, and without children of his own, so Starr surrounded himself with young people of promise. Many were given personal scholarships to help them along in the world. A protégé, Wen-Shi Yu, wrote: "He was the strange power of drawing people, especially Chinese people, toward him like a magnet attracts bits of metal." A Renaissance Man: As a man, Starr was publicity shy, and self effacing. Much of what he read he retained with almost total recall. Starr's true calling was business, but he excelled as an amateur in many other areas. Early in the insurance business, while American Asiatic Underwriters was headquartered at 17 The Bund, in Shanghai, Starr expanded into journalism. He bought and combined two newspapers, then published a Chinese-language edition. He was content to be the owner, not the publisher. With AIG's enterprises spreading globally there was a need for buildings to house the businesses. Beirut, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, Havana, Karachi, Malaya, Wilmington, and Bangkok were all cities in which the new large mid century buildings were erected, and to be sure C.V. Starr had his say. "He was a perfectionist. He wanted both utility and beauty. He came close to being an ideal client...His buildings all look advanced, not hidebound, and they represent a progressive approach..." -I.M. Pei He never bought art objects for investment. He bought what he liked. When he traveled he always spent some time studying the local art. For his personal use and his business establishments he purchased oriental screens, Japanese wood block prings, jewelry, jade, crystal, china, as well as French impressionist paintings, and bronze sculptures. Star appreciated opera as one of the arts, so he approached Rudolph Bing of the Metropolitan Opera suggesting a desire to underwrite a new production of Puccini's "Madame Butterfly". He insisted that the production depict more of the real Japan, and less of the then current mythical. Bing was quite agreeable, and Starr provided costumes and sets all made in Japan. In the winter of 1939-1940 Neil took up skiing for the first time in Sun Valley, Idaho. He became an ardent skier. In both St. Anton, Austria, and in Stowe, Vermont he organized the communities in order ot install new ski lifts. Starr was named an honorary citizen of St. Anton, and Stowe renamed a very difficult double black diamond run the "Starr". With jewelry as with his other endeavors, Starr was interested in design, quality, and workmanship. He dealt with some of the world's finest jewelers. When the Estate sold his collection through Parke-Bernet Galleries, June 2, 1971, it must have been the jewelry event of the season. Seaman Schepps, Raymond C. Yard, and Van Cleef & Arpels jewerly was represented. From the only color plate in the catalogue on page 39 the very high quality of the jewelry was quite evident to a connoisseur. The Kashmir sapphire ring is shown as lot #122. Legacy: In 1955 the C.V. Starr Foundation was established. Today it is worth four billion dollars, and many worthy institutions have benefited from its philanthropic work.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Ring size: 5½

Accompanied by AGL report numbered CS 40063, dated 8 September 2008, stating that the 7.54 carat sapphire is natural, of Kashmir origin, with no evidence of heat treatment.