David Webb

The items featured as lots 118-138 provide a window into an impressive collection of jewels by David Webb, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Cartier acquired over several decades by a Washington, D.C.-area real estate developer and his beloved wife. Here we find some of the bolder, more colorful pieces that complemented a jewelry collection rich with dazzling, diamond-set looks for frequent formal events.

Born in the late 1890s, the collector emigrated with his family to the United States in the early 1900s, and ultimately settled in the Washington, D.C. area. With his wife, a native Washingtonian, he made frequent trips to Palm Beach and New York City where they often visited the studio of David Webb and developed an enduring friendship with the designer. This close relationship granted them access not only to Webb’s most iconic designs, but also to one-of-a-kind creations spanning the 1950s to the 1980s.

The collection reflects lives both well-lived and stylish, filled with exciting travel, glamorous entertaining, generous philanthropy, and most importantly, cherished time with family. Sotheby’s is honored to present these jewels which, for the past four decades, have remained locked away and untouched.