Enthusiasts
Unique Jewels by Ostier, Claflin Among Highlights at Sotheby’s April Magnificent Jewels Sale
Jewels du JourNext week, Sotheby’s shifts its spring season into full gear with its first Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on April 19th. The sale is already causing a frenzy with the anticipation of how high the hammer price will go for the Shirley Temple Blue Diamond. However, the beautiful blue rarity is not the only piece of jewelry to look forward to in the sale. Sprinkled among the well-known names that dominate every major jewelry sale, such as this one, is an assortment of enigmatic designers whose work sporadically appears at auction. Firstly, the four unique jewels by Marianne Ostier in the sale offers a rare opportunity to see the work by one of the very few female artist jewelers of the 20th century. In an industry largely dominated by men, Ostier brought an understanding of jewelry should be worn by women, factoring face shape, complexion, body type and coloring as important criteria when selecting jewels. Upon her marriage to Oliver Ostier, a third generation court jeweler to the Hapsburgs, she moved to New York in 1939 and opened a shop along Fifth Avenue near 57th street. There, she translated her training in painting and sculpting at the Vienna Academy of Arts and Crafts into […]
