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Joan Crawford’s Personal Jewels Dazzle at $5.3 Million Heritage Auctions Jewelry Event

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Published
06/03/2022 by

Joan Crawford shined Monday afternoon in her latest starring role when a statement-making necklace, brooch and bracelet she commissioned from acclaimed jeweler Raymond Yard realized $250,000 in Heritage Auctions’ May 2 Spring Fine Jewelry event.

The dazzling citrine and gold jewelry suite held a pre-auction estimate of just $15,000-$20,000, but Crawford’s – and Yard’s – adoring fans made it clear the jewels were worth far more than that. When the set’s stunning final price was announced, the auction room erupted in applause.

“We knew the star-studded combination of Joan Crawford and Raymond Yard would be an attention-getter, but we were beyond thrilled with the final result,” says Jill Burgum, Heritage Auctions Senior Director of Fine Jewelry. “That was an exciting moment for the winning bidder, as well as for everyone in the auction room.”

These jewels are no stranger to the spotlight, however. Not only did Crawford wear them in the 1941 film When Ladies Meet and in a print ad for Royal Crown Cola, but they also appeared in the 2007 book YARD: The Life and Magnificent Jewelry of Raymond C. Yard. The jeweler was a bit of a celebrity himself, earning renown among America’s elite for his exquisite Art Deco designs and the fine custom pieces he crafted for families such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and du Ponts – and, of course, for Hollywood icons such as Crawford.

But the Crawford-Yard collaboration was just one of the standouts in the auction, which totaled $5,357,995.

The event’s top lot, a dazzling diamond and gold necklace with a 21.93-carat stone, sold for $300,000. And a 19.02-carat diamond and platinum ring from the estate of businesswoman and artist Phyllis Rubin realized $237,500.

A bold and beautiful collection of ear clips by the Paris-based jeweler JAR also performed exceptionally well during the auction. Amassed over a decade by a fashion-savvy collector, the 20-piece collection represents the largest private assemblage of composite, titanium and aluminum JAR ear clips ever to have been offered at auction.

Two floral-inspired pairs by the exclusive jeweler were the top draws Monday afternoon. A pair of pink pansy-themed titanium ear clips sold for $27,500, and a pair of white gardenia-themed clips made of resin realized $20,000.

Other top lots included:

$168,750: An unmounted diamond weighing 17.39 carats

$125,000: A 12.49-carat diamond and gold ring

$112,500: A flower-themed brooch featuring a golden South Sea cultured pearl measuring 11.30 mm and a 4.15-carat diamond

$109,375: A diamond, platinum and gold ring with a 5.02-carat stone

$100,000: A 6.46-carat diamond and platinum ring

Full results from the May 2 auction can be found at HA.com/5530.

 

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,500,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.

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