Van Cleef & Arpels - Jewels New York Monday, December 7, 2020 | Phillips

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      • 1966

      • One oval sapphire weighing 3.92 carats
        Pear-shape emeralds, total 3.36 carats
        Round brilliant-cut diamonds, total 5.38 carats
        Signed, numbered
        18K yellow gold, length approximately 1.75 inches

        Accompanied by original VCA receipt

      AGL Report: Burma, no gemological evidence of heat

    • Catalogue Essay

      The Personal Jewelry Collection of Florence Knoll Bassett

      Throughout our lives, possessions increasingly reflect who we are, or at least how we want to see ourselves. In the case of Florence Knoll Bassett, architect, interior designer, furniture designer and textile innovator, her jewelry collection is the mosaic of her life. Personally curated selections, tokens of affection from her husbands and children, and gifts from friends, all tell a story of a woman who loved quality, color and a modern aesthetic.

      Working on the Knoll jewelry estate has been an education in respect for one’s treasures. When the lid to her bequeathed jewels was initially opened, a tidy row of A4 envelopes housing each jewel were revealed. Individually catalogued with a number, title of work, the maker and a color sketch to the right, these envelopes reinforced that the functional, orderly, sleek principles of design that Florence instilled at Knoll Associates carried through to her personal life. This was not a velvet drawered jewelry box, rather a utilitarian filing system which rejected frivolous ornamentation.

      Knoll was a stickler for quality. She curated her jewelry collection by selecting signed pieces from brands that promised premier gemstones and craftmanship. For example, her “Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond and Gold Brooch” by Van Cleef & Arpels is set with a stunning blue sapphire of Burmese origin. As seen in this jewel, her personal stationery, and throughout countless Knoll furniture designs, blue was undoubtedly her favorite color. Likewise, she once admired the colorful, Moghul inspired “Diamond, Emerald, Ruby and Gold Clip Brooch” from a Cartier store window, and it was later gifted to Knoll by her second husband, Harry Hood Bassett. Additionally, her diamond necklace by Cartier, which can be further embellished by suspending a sensational 8.86 carat marquise-cut diamond is a classic yet contemporary jewel that transcends design fads- much like Knoll’s own creations.

      Perhaps most emblematic of her style are Knoll’s jewels by American sculptor, painter, and jeweler, Alexander Calder. Calder met Knoll in the 1940s. His dear friend, Herbert Matter, was hired by Knoll in 1946 as the primary design consultant for Knoll Inc., and Matter remained there working closely with Florence for the next twenty years. Thus, Calder and Florence developed a close friendship that resulted in gifts in the form of three important pieces of Calder jewelry. The most intimate offering was certainly “A Brass Belt Buckle” in the shape of a shoe. This was a visual pun referencing Knoll’s nickname “Shu,” as her maiden name was Schust. Surprisingly, most of Calder’s jewelry was indeed made for friends and typically gifted on momentous occasions. For intimate friends, Calder generously presented everything from their initials to an array of playful puns in the forms of brooches, rings, necklaces, combs and earrings. For example, Cordelia Pond was gifted a fish and Frances Hawkins was presented with a hawk. According to his friends, this was typical of Sandy’s personality. “Making jewelry provided an escape valve for the comic and whimsical impulses Calder’s major work couldn’t always contain” (Pearl, 2017, p. 577) recalls Jed Pearl. Notably, during his lifetime, Calder’s jewelry was acquired by only a few collectors who purchased his pieces as unique works of art. The majority of his jewels were personalized and offered as gifts.

      The admiration was mutual; Knoll “popularized the idea of putting art in offices, including work from Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder, and other artists” (“Fast Company,” 2020, para. 10). According to Paul Makovsky of Metropolis, “Knoll was one of the few furniture companies in the United States to showcase contemporary art alongside Modern furniture in its showrooms, creating visual dialogues between unique works of art and mass- produced designs, an affirmation of the company’s commitment to Modernism.” These creative contemporaries devoted their lives to the modern aesthetic, each proselytizing the movement three-dimensionally, using smart lines and primary colors, albeit through different mediums. It is no surprise that they were friends.

      Phillips is thrilled to offer the personal collection of Florence Knoll Bassett’s important jewels that uniquely bridge the worlds of jewelry, art and design.

    • Artist Biography

      Van Cleef & Arpels

      French

      When Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels fell in love, their marriage paved the way for iconic jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels to become a symbol of unification. With their background in precious stone dealing, the Arpels found their perfect match in the Van Cleefs, a family of expert stonecutters. In 1906, Estelle's brother Charles established the company name with Alfred's help and opened shop in the Place Vendôme in Paris. To this day, this Parisian neighborhood is associated with turn-of-the-century luxury.

      The Van Cleef & Arpels aesthetic has always had its finger on the pulse of worldwide trends: For example, the house took inspiration from Tutankhamen upon the Egyptian king's discovery in the 1920s, which spurred a global phenomenon marrying Egyptian Revival and Art Deco motifs. Over the decades, Van Cleef & Arpels has produced intricate watches, earrings and necklaces with a signature elegance that mirrors contemporary tastes. 

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Making Modern, PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF FLORENCE KNOLL BASSETT

28

A Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond and Gold Brooch

1966
One oval sapphire weighing 3.92 carats
Pear-shape emeralds, total 3.36 carats
Round brilliant-cut diamonds, total 5.38 carats
Signed, numbered
18K yellow gold, length approximately 1.75 inches

Accompanied by original VCA receipt

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$25,000 - 35,000 

Sold for $57,960

Contact Specialist

Susan Abeles
Head of Department, Americas and Senior International Specialist
New York
+1 212 940 1383

Jewels

New York Auction 7 December 2020