- 96
PEARL, CULTURED PEARL AND DIAMOND BRACELET, CARTIER
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description
Centered on a white button-shaped pearl measuring approximately 15.8 x 6.8 mm, between lines of round and button-shaped pearls of various pink, violet and cream hues measuring 10.6 to 5.4mm, highlighted with old European-cut diamonds, one side suspending a tassel of old European and single-cut diamonds and two pearl drops, one pink, the other cream, length 6¼ inches, signed Cartier; circa 1930. With signed pouch.
Condition
In very good condition. The platinum mounting with gentle wear commensurate with age. Please note the bracelet is accompanied by a photocopy of a letter from Cartier dated 1995 referencing an appraisal they performed on the piece in 1942 and stating the piece dates from the late 1920s or early 1930s, not circa 1920 as stated in the printed catalogue. Please refer to GIA report for location of pearls. Starting from the female clasp end: pearl 1 (pink) is natural, freshwater, pearl 2 (white) is natural, saltwater, pearl 3 (cream) is natural, saltwater, pearl 4 at center (white) is natural, saltwater, pearl 5 (creamy) is natural, saltwater, pearl 6 (pink) is natural, freshwater, pearl 7 on the tassel (cream) is natural, saltwater, pearl 8 on the tassel (pink) is non-beaded cultured, freshwater. The central white button-shaped pearl (pearl 4) presents soft pink and green overtones, a satin-like luster, light ringing, minor pitting and light scratching. Only a selection of the pearls could be tested due to the nature of the mounting. The remaining pearls of varying shapes: round, near-round, button and drop. The light to medium pink pearls with modifying colors including lilac and taupe; with varying degrees of pink, green and blue overtones; good to very good luster, nice skins, and light scratching. The cream-colored pearls with varying degrees of gold; waxy to satin-like luster; light scratching and one pearl with minor peeling and the drop (drilled) with minor surface irregularities. The 61 diamonds weighing approximately 3.75 carats, are approximately G-I color, VS clarity. Fitted with a safety closure. The bracelet was shortened, but the extra link has since been lost. Accompanied by GIA report no. 5191755085 stating that of the eight pearls tested, seven are natural, comprising five saltwater and two freshwater, and one is cultured, freshwater. Please note that the remaining pearls have not been tested for natural origin due to the nature of the mounting.
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.Certificates of Authenticity: Various manufacturers may not issue certificates of authenticity upon request. Sotheby's is not under an obligation to furnish the purchaser with a certificate of authenticity from the manufacturer at any time. Unless the requirements for a rescission of the sale under the Terms of Guarantee are satisfied, the failure of a manufacturer to issue a certificate will not constitute grounds to rescind the sale. Gemological Certificates and Reports: References in the catalogue descriptions to certificates or reports issued by gemological laboratories are provided only for the information of bidders, and Sotheby's does not guarantee and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, terms or information contained in such certificates or reports. Please also note that laboratories may differ in their assessment of a gemstone (including its origin and presence, type and extent of treatments) and their certificates or reports may contain different results.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.
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.Certificates of Authenticity: Various manufacturers may not issue certificates of authenticity upon request. Sotheby's is not under an obligation to furnish the purchaser with a certificate of authenticity from the manufacturer at any time. Unless the requirements for a rescission of the sale under the Terms of Guarantee are satisfied, the failure of a manufacturer to issue a certificate will not constitute grounds to rescind the sale. Gemological Certificates and Reports: References in the catalogue descriptions to certificates or reports issued by gemological laboratories are provided only for the information of bidders, and Sotheby's does not guarantee and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, terms or information contained in such certificates or reports. Please also note that laboratories may differ in their assessment of a gemstone (including its origin and presence, type and extent of treatments) and their certificates or reports may contain different results.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
Accompanied by GIA report no. 5191755085 stating that seven of the pearls tested are natural, five saltwater, two freshwater, one pearl tested cultured, freshwater. Please note that the remaining pearls have not been tested for natural origin due to the nature of the mounting.
Grace Greenway Brown was one of eight children born to Frances Winchester and George Brown of Baltimore. As a member of a prominent banking family with a lineage detailed in Henry Colburn’s Peerage and Baronetage of Great Britain and Ireland, she and her two sisters were well-positioned to catch the attention of eligible bachelors when they arrived in Chicago. Sister Frances married Walter Woodruff Keith, a member of the Chicago Blue Book; sister Sarah married Stanley Field, the brother of Marshall; and Grace, not to be outdone, married Honoré Palmer, the son of Bertha and Potter Palmer.
Entering “Palmer Castle” for the first time, the castellated residence of her famous in-laws would have been a daunting experience for any young bride-to-be. Bertha and Potter Palmer were credited not only with rebuilding Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871, but also with transforming it from a cultural backwater into a city of international significance. Bertha was the celebrated “Queen of Chicago,” a woman with an outsized personality and a passion for art—works by Monet, Renoir and Pissarro figured prominently in her collection—and a penchant for fine jewels. One account of her enviable opulence centers on a trans-Atlantic voyage on the S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm in 1904. Alois Burgskeller of the Metropolitan Opera was in the midst of a performance in one of the public rooms when Bertha Palmer entered. Wearing a tiara set with diamonds the size of “Tokay grapes,” she was said to be so dazzling that the tenor was forced to stop singing while his audience beheld the true center of attention. Like many women of a certain station in the early 1900s, Bertha favored diamonds and pearls, and it is only logical that she would guide her daughter-in-law’s taste, as suggested by the exquisite Cartier bracelet offered here.
With no surviving children, Grace gifted the bracelet to her niece Harriet. Harriet also seemed to inherit Grace’s talent for marrying well, if a bit more often. Her first marriage was to a Mr. Marbury, who was killed in a dual in Maryland, followed by a Mr. Wentworth of Chicago, and finally by Edward Hersey of Sarasota where her aunt, Grace, now widowed, maintained a large estate. Harriet, in the words of a family member, “was a colorful personality, to be sure.” One need look no further than the family photograph of Cousin Harriet with her pet cheetah to know she was hardly conventional. Today’s world is sorely lacking in eccentrics, but there still remains the thrill of discovering a stunning piece of jewelry and the stories it can tell.
Grace Greenway Brown was one of eight children born to Frances Winchester and George Brown of Baltimore. As a member of a prominent banking family with a lineage detailed in Henry Colburn’s Peerage and Baronetage of Great Britain and Ireland, she and her two sisters were well-positioned to catch the attention of eligible bachelors when they arrived in Chicago. Sister Frances married Walter Woodruff Keith, a member of the Chicago Blue Book; sister Sarah married Stanley Field, the brother of Marshall; and Grace, not to be outdone, married Honoré Palmer, the son of Bertha and Potter Palmer.
Entering “Palmer Castle” for the first time, the castellated residence of her famous in-laws would have been a daunting experience for any young bride-to-be. Bertha and Potter Palmer were credited not only with rebuilding Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871, but also with transforming it from a cultural backwater into a city of international significance. Bertha was the celebrated “Queen of Chicago,” a woman with an outsized personality and a passion for art—works by Monet, Renoir and Pissarro figured prominently in her collection—and a penchant for fine jewels. One account of her enviable opulence centers on a trans-Atlantic voyage on the S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm in 1904. Alois Burgskeller of the Metropolitan Opera was in the midst of a performance in one of the public rooms when Bertha Palmer entered. Wearing a tiara set with diamonds the size of “Tokay grapes,” she was said to be so dazzling that the tenor was forced to stop singing while his audience beheld the true center of attention. Like many women of a certain station in the early 1900s, Bertha favored diamonds and pearls, and it is only logical that she would guide her daughter-in-law’s taste, as suggested by the exquisite Cartier bracelet offered here.
With no surviving children, Grace gifted the bracelet to her niece Harriet. Harriet also seemed to inherit Grace’s talent for marrying well, if a bit more often. Her first marriage was to a Mr. Marbury, who was killed in a dual in Maryland, followed by a Mr. Wentworth of Chicago, and finally by Edward Hersey of Sarasota where her aunt, Grace, now widowed, maintained a large estate. Harriet, in the words of a family member, “was a colorful personality, to be sure.” One need look no further than the family photograph of Cousin Harriet with her pet cheetah to know she was hardly conventional. Today’s world is sorely lacking in eccentrics, but there still remains the thrill of discovering a stunning piece of jewelry and the stories it can tell.