An important art deco diamond bracelet, designed by Austrian artist Erwin Lang, is a highlight of Adam’s Fine Jewellery and Watches sale, which will take place in a live online auction on Tuesday September 12th.
Lang was the half-brother of Erich Köchert of Austrian imperial jewellery house Köchert, which is now run by the seventh generation of the original Köchert family.
In 1831, the house was commissioned for the first time by Emperor Franz Joseph I, to create a gold box, which was to be gifted to a Turkish diplomat. So began a long and important relationship with the jewellery house and the imperial House of Austria, who noted that the company had “the highest reputation for honesty, for the excellence and good taste which distinguishes their workmanship, and both are known to carry out commissions to the satisfaction of high nobility”.
With 38 carats of brilliant and baguette cut diamonds, the bracelet is illustrated in the book Köchert, Imperial Jewellers in Vienna, Jewellery Design, 1810-1940, by Irmgard Hauser-Köchert.
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The stunning piece was then later redesigned as a tiara and sold by Bulgari in Rome in the 1950s and is accompanied by a certificate from Amanda Triossi, a specialist and author on Italian fine jewellers Bulgari and former curator of the Bulgari Heritage Collection, stating that the tiara was sold by Bulgari in the 1950s.
Demand for tiaras, which take their name from high-peaked headdresses of ancient Persian royalty, has risen in recent times. In the postwar eras of the 20th century, demand for formal attire receded – as they were then limited to royal receptions – making them rare enough symbols of the extravagance of former times. Today, they are popular with Asian markets, with a third of tiaras recently sold through Sotheby’s going to Asian buyers. Purchased as bridal headpieces, creating a family heirloom to be passed down to further generations, some are also becoming popular on international catwalk shows and events such as the Met Gala. A recent feature in Harper’s Bazaar suggested that the fantastical Regency-era drama Bridgerton had prompted a spike in interest in the statement pieces, with one London-based jeweller, Susannah Lovis, reporting a 300 per cent rise in searches for tiaras following the Netflix show’s second season.
The bejewelled piece in Adam’s sale, which is the property of a titled European woman and expected to achieve between €50,000 and €70,000, works as both a bracelet and headpiece – with an additional section with 4.50 carats of diamonds in a band to make the piece operate as a tiara.
A really beautiful art deco emerald and diamond bracelet from circa 1935 (lot 37, €25,000-€35,000) also features. With a continuous line of rectangular cut emeralds in the centre, shouldered by old European cut diamonds and mounted in gold and platinum, it has approximately 25 carats of diamonds.
With more than 200 lots in total, the watch section has models by Cartier, Chopard, Fred, Breitling, Piaget, Hermès and a rare 18k gold and diamond set cocktail watch by Vacheron Constantin from the 1970s (lot 72, €2,000-€3,000).
If you’re celebrating a birthday this month, the sale has a few nice sapphires to mark the September birthstone: Lot 177 is a super pair of diamond, sapphire and titanium pendant earrings (€1,800-€2,200), and if you’re feeling really special a highly articulated openwork geometric link bracelet with brilliant cut diamonds and French cut sapphire links with seven carats is a really lovely adornment for the wrist (lot 146, €6,000-€7,000), A sapphire and diamond brooch by Van Cleef and Arpels (lot 77, €7,000-€8,000) designed as a butterfly, has the jewellery house’s signature mystery-set calibre-cut sapphires with marquise shaped diamonds.
Sheppards sale
On September 5th and 6th, Sheppards of Durrow will conduct a two-day interiors sale of fine furniture, sculpture, paintings and objets d’art. The broad range of furnishings include everything from a 19th-century Islamic brass bowl supported on a hardwood scroll base (lot 15, €350-€600); to a collection of nine 19th-century oval Indian miniatures – each painted on ivory depicting temples (lot 65, €1,800-€3,000).
With more than 700 lots, highlights include a pair of 18th-century panelled doors (lot 370, €500-€700) and a really lovely George III satinwood cylinder bookcase with a fitted sliding writing interior, raised on turned and fluted legs (lot 223, €3,600-€6,000).
From the same period is a large brass-bound tray on a stand (lot 22, €1,700-€2,200), and if you entertain quite a bit, lot 67 is an 18th-century brass bound mahogany wine cooler. Raised on out-swept square tapered legs, the piece, which has a steel insert to accommodate ice, is 72cm in diameter so has the capacity to hold a number of bottles (also €1,700-€2,200). A brass-bound cellarette, also from the George III period (lot 178, €1,800-€3,000), is of similar form and would make a lovely addition to a diningroom. adams.ie, sheppards.ie
