A twentieth century feather brooch with emeralds, sapphires and diamonds
Sotheby's Geneva offers an extraordinary platinum and gemstone brooch that once graced the collections of Helena Rubinstein and Jayne Wrightsman, two of the twentieth century's most discerning tastemakers.
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The eye settles first on the jewel’s centrepiece: a vivid emerald set within a sapphire surround, its colour so luminous it seems to hold light itself. This is the anchor of a design of audacious theatricality, a platinum feather that spirals upward along a bangle, each plume rendered with meticulous articulation and studded with diamonds that catch and fragment the light as the piece moves against the skin.
What speaks most forcefully about this brooch is its absolute refusal of understatement. The scale is monumental, the craftsmanship architectural in its precision, and the materials uncompromising in their quality. The design belongs unmistakably to the twentieth century’s golden age of high jewellery, when a piece could be both intellectually rigorous and visually commanding.
Its provenance speaks of refined judgment across generations. Helena Rubinstein, the cosmetics magnate and passionate collector, brought to her acquisitions a bold, almost daring sensibility. Jayne Wrightsman, the American philanthropist and art collector, was known for her more restrained but deeply considered taste. That both women selected this brooch for their collections suggests a piece that transcends any single aesthetic philosophy, holding instead a kind of timeless authority that appeals across the spectrum of distinguished taste.
Sotheby’s will present this jewel in its Royal & Noble sale in Geneva. Before the auction, the brooch will be on view at Luxury Week, running from 6 to 10 November at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva.
Imagery courtesy of Sotheby's (@sothebysjewels).
