Sotheby's Sale of Fine Jewels to Feature Modern Jewels by Andrew Grima

8/3/2019 Sotheby's Sale of Fine Jewels to Feature Modern Jewels by Andrew Grima

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For Immediate ReleasePress Release London

London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Matthew Weigman | [email protected] Kelly Signorelli-Chaplin | [email protected] |

Simon Warren | [email protected]

Sotheby’s London Fine Jewellery Sale

to Take Place on 14 December 2011

--- Sale will include a group of modern jewels by Andrew Grima ---

Diamond Corsage Ornament, Tiffany & Co, Circa 1920, Estimated £52,000 - 72,000*

SOTHEBY’S LONDON, 6 DECEMBER 2011 – Sotheby’s London is delighted to announce the sale of

Fine Jewels which will take place on Wednesday, 14 December 2011. Comprised of 399 lots, the sale

is estimated to fetch in excess of £2.2 million. The auction will include antique jewels, natural pearls,

1920s jewels and modern jewels by Andrew Grima.

Commenting on the sale, Daniela Mascetti and Alexandra Rhodes, Senior International

Specialists, Sotheby's Jewellery Department said: “Following the recent success of Sotheby’s

Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva we are pleased to present for sale in London an array of jewels,

ranging from 1920s jewels to contemporary designs, which will provide ample choice to collectors and

to buyers looking for attractively priced Christmas gifts.”



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The sale will be highlighted a Diamond Corsage Ornament, Tiffany & Co, circa 1920 (est. £52,000 -

72,000, illustrated on page one), designed as a ribbon bow, set to the centre with a circular-cut

diamond, within interlacing lines of single- and circular-cut diamonds, suspending similarly set

articulated tassels, signed Tiffany & Co., brooch fitting. Bows and ribbons were a popular motif used

frequently in early 20th century Garland Style jewellery. Jewels such as these used the delicate

designs of the eighteenth century as their inspiration, the forms always expressing lightness and

fluidity. Creations such as this appeared frequently in Tiffany & Co. works from the late 19th century

through to the 1920s.

Also included in the auction will be a Diamond Tiara, last

quarter 19th century, estimated at £30,000-50,000

(illustrated left). Designed as a graduated row of tiered dart

motifs, set with circular-cut, cushion- and pear-shaped

diamonds, it was formerly a necklace/tiara and converted to

sole use as a tiara in the early 20th century. The popularity

of the tiara has fluctuated throughout history but has never

diminished. Styles have changed dramatically throughout

time, the tiara constantly evolving and answering to the

demands of fashion. One element of the tiara that has never faded is its firm links and undertones of

royalty, elegance and splendour. Within recent history the tiara has gone through something of a

revival from Royal weddings and coronations, to Hollywood and the catwalks of today.

Jewels by Andrew Grima

Sotheby’s London will auction a group of jewels designed

by Andrew Grima, including a Gold and Diamond

Bracelet ‘Paving Stones’, Grima, 1973, estimated at

£4,000-6,000 (illustrated to the right). Designed as a series of textured fancy links, accented with

brilliant-cut diamonds, this jewel was exhibited at the Grima Retrospective at Goldsmiths’ Hall in

London in May 1991.

One further example is a Cultured Pearl and Diamond

Demi-Parure, Grima, 1972, estimated at £6,000-10,000

(illustrated left). The lot is comprised of a necklace of abstract

design, set with white and black cultured pearls of irregular

shapes, highlighted with brilliant-cut diamonds, and a pair ofearrings of similar design.



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Andrew Grima’s original Gold and Gem-Set Ornament ‘Super-Shells’, Grima, 1972 (illustrated at

the bottom of page three), uses an Australis shell to represent the body of a seal, balancing polished

sapphire and ruby bead balls on its nose, on an iron pyrite rock attached to a petrified wood base.

Estimated at £3,000-5,000 this piece was also exhibited at the Grima Retrospective at Goldsmiths’

Hall in London in May 1991.

Other Highlights

A notable highlight of the sale is a Gold, Enamel, Gem-Set

and Diamond Brooch, Boucheron, Circa 1890,

estimated at £15,000-20,000 (illustrated right). Designed as

a cicada, the articulated wings decorated with plique-à-jour

enamel and calibré-cut sapphires, the abdomen and head

set with cushion-shaped, circular-cut and rose diamonds,

and further set with buff top sapphires, the eyes of

cabochon cat's-eye chrysoberyl. Frédéric Boucheron

(1830-1902) trained in Paris and soon became renowned for his highly imaginative and exquisitely

crafted beautiful jewels, studied nature from life and then experimented with techniques using plique-

à-jour enamel several decades before it was made popular by the Art Nouveau movement.

A Gold and Gem-Set Bracelet, Fabergé, circa

1900, designed as a series of samorodok (gold

nugget) textured links inset with faceted and

cabochon gemstones, including rubies, sapphires,

emeralds and diamonds, is similar to a handful of

known Fabergé objects of samorodok design

scattered with gemstones dated to circa 1900-1910.

This interesting piece is estimated at £6,000-8,000.

The sale will include a group of beautiful jewels made with natural pearls, including a Pair of Natural

Pearl and Diamond Earrings, estimated at £3,000-5,000 (illustrated left),

with each of bombé cluster design set with natural pearls and single-cut

diamonds. A beautiful Natural Pearl and Diamond Necklace, composed

of three rows of graduated natural pearls, to a circular clasp set with a

pearl and rose diamonds, is estimated to fetch in excess of £8,000.



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Notes to Editors:

Andrew Grima (1921 – 2007) was a master of contemporary

British jewellery design, at his most prolific in the 1960s and 70s.

With his highly distinctive style, Grima aspired "to make gold look

like material which nature might have produced"; he cast leaves

and bark using the lost-wax process to develop unusual textured

organic jewels in gold, this became the hallmark of his work. One

such commission from HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of

Snowdon, was to create a jewel from a piece of lichen that she

had sent to Grima in 1967. Grima had no formal jewellery training, eschewing the polished mirror-like

surfaces of traditional jewel design in favour of texture and abstract form. He preferred to work with

gold, rather than silver or platinum, creating extraordinary and original effects. More interested in

artistic impact than material value, he often chose unusual stones in unconventional shapes, using

gems in their natural form such as crystalised agates, geodes and even shells in his pieces. Grima's

jewels were often innovative and whimsical, adding minimal embellishments to inspire the imagination

of his clients. Both modest and personable, Grima counted Royalty and filmstars amongst his

clientele; he was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1966 which he held for twenty years. He won many

prestigious jewellery honours including twelve De Beers International awards and the Duke ofEdinburgh's Prize for Elegant Design for several pieces. A retrospective of Grima's work was

displayed at Goldsmiths' Hall in the City of London to mark the occasion of his 70th Birthday in 1991.

Grima's second wife Jojo together with his daughter Frances still design jewellery, keeping his unique

style alive.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium

Images Available Upon Request

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Sotheby's Sale of Fine Jewels to Feature Modern Jewels by Andrew Grima