T&C Exclusive: The Jewels of a Style Icon Are Up for Sale
Name your favorite Millicent Rogers story. Is it the gold toothpick she commissioned, the one she nursed around some of the best parties in Europe and New York? Her custom Charles James and Schiaparelli? That time she moved to Austria and started wearing a Tyrolean hat with her couture? Her love for Taos, New Mexico, and Native American jewelry—and how she made pairing turquoise with diamonds the height of bohemian chic? Her activism on behalf of Native Americans? The museum in Taos? The Standard Oil heiress thing? The forty pieces of Verdura she commissioned? The Boivin starfish brooch? The Paul Flato ruby heart?
“Millicent Rogers was the ultimate tastemaker and influencer long before those words existed,” says Frank Everett, Sotheby’s vice chairman of jewelry. “She remains one of the truly great style icons of the 20th century, and continues to inspire the worlds of fashion, art, and design nearly 75 years after her passing. From New York City to the Tyrolean Alps to the American Southwest, her passion for design permeated her very existence. Millicent Rogers is the very definition of style transcending fashion and trends.”
This December, Sotheby’s will present the rare opportunity to invest in the Millicent Rogers legend. Two pieces belonging to her, consigned directly from her family, will be for sale at the Magnificent Jewels auction on December 11. One is her ruby and diamond floral clip-brooch by Boivin (est. $80,000-120,000), the other lot a pair of ruby and sapphire earclips by Suzanne Belperron (est. $8,000-120,000).
Both pieces hold extraordinary value even without their Millicent Rogers provenance. “The design team at Boivin in the 1920s and 30s was entirely female, rare for the time, but a fact that certainly did not escape Rogers’ notice,” Sotheby’s notes. “With designers like Suzanne Belperron and Juliette Moutard, Boivin became the standard for bold, dynamic jewelry. Frequently taking inspiration from nature, as in the iconic Starfish brooch (Rogers purchased the second one ever made) and in this exquisite floral brooch, the jewels were highly three dimensional with luscious gems.” The first Boivin Starfish is now part of the permanent collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. And gems by Belperron, who famously never signed her pieces (“My style is my signature,” she said) are considered among jewelry’s holy grails—with the auction results to match.
Their jewelry legacy alone makes these pieces news, but the Millicent Rogers connection should not be underestimated. As Sotheby’s points out, “While much of her collection has been dispersed over the years, the two jewels presented in this sale represent a rare glimpse into one of history’s greatest and most original jewelry collections.”
Adam Hayes, who is at work on a book about Rogers called More than a Muse: The Creative Life of Millicent Rogers, explains it this way: “Millicent Rogers exhibited an exceptional ability to combine traditional, antique, fine, and her own sculpted jewelry together with distinguishing effect. Her taste in jewelry—both as a client and a creator—often transcended the aesthetic or commercial trends of her time, which is why her image and personal style continue to resonate. Rogers utilized jewelry to express her own identity, and in doing so composed her own unique portrait of the modern woman. I've had the great honor to handle and study many examples of her jewelry throughout the course of my research. In addition to their rare beauty, to own one of these remarkable pieces would allow someone to be part of one of greatest jewelry legacies.”
Put December 11 in your jewelry calendar.
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