The venerable New York auction house of Christie's is always selling something good, whether it be art, the decorative arts, complete estates or jewels. And the upcoming sale on April 11 is certainly no slouch.
Among the items being sold in the "Magnificent Jewels" sale, are a number of pieces from the estate of Mrs. Joan B. Kroc, widow of the founder of McDonald's Restaurants.
In addition to being a magnanimous philanthropist, Mrs. Kroc was quite a collector as well. Lots 321 through 335 are part of her estate and can be seen by perusing Christie's online catalog for the sale. Take a look, there is some amazing stuff in there besides hers.
Of the fifteen pieces in the sale, all come from either Harry Winston, Bulgari or Van Cleef & Arpels and all have recently been reevaluated for quality and authenticity by either the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) or the AGTA (American Gem Trade Association). The GIA verifies the quality and certification assignations of the diamonds and the natural color of the diamonds. The AGTA Gem Testing Center verifies the origin and natural color of the sapphires and emeralds.
Basically, Ms. Kroc had impeccable taste and, it seems, a fondness for yellow diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. If this collection is a reflection of her taste, it was truly remarkable. A seemingly endless source of funding didn't hurt, either.
The Big Bird (my pet name for large canary diamonds) seen in the above picture is a beautiful canary diamond necklace by Harry Winston. The 42.13 carat fancy yellow intense pear-shaped diamond is detachable from the two-row pear and round brilliant cut diamond necklace. Such details enable the wearer to have, you know, options when deciding what to wear.
I can just imagine the dignified lady ruminating in her dressing gown, Now, do I wear the Big Bird (lot 335) tonight? Or do I let him rest in the blue leather Harry Winston cage? Hmmmmm. But I have such a nice Little Bird (lot 329) to wear with it... or I could leave Big Bird and Little Bird home in their cages and bring out the Wollman Skating Rink (lot 334) and wear all white diamonds and call it a night... oh, whatever shall I do?
It is set in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold (you want your canaries set in yellow gold so as not to detract from their color) and is 15.5 inches in length. That's basically choker length for most women.
How much, you ask?
Christie's expects this lot to fetch anywhere between $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Which, for us lay people, is approximately 333,333 to 500,000 McRib Deluxe Sandwiches. (Ewwww!)
And yes, I'd like fries with that.
You know, my great aunt was married to a guy named Mendel Krock. Do you think there is any relation? Do you think I should investigate? Always a relative once-removed, never an acutal niece. Ho hum. At least we have the catalogue to drool over!
Posted by: kim | March 17, 2006 at 11:01 AM
I would investigate that. Hehehehe. Would probably piss off some Krocs.
Posted by: Susanna | March 18, 2006 at 09:56 AM
Great Post! The above necklace is looking awesome.If i am not wrong bigger diamond is always more expensive than small one or cost is also depend some more factors? Can you please guide me regarding this .
Posted by: Vintage Rings | February 02, 2010 at 12:20 AM
I love jewelry that makes people wonder if it's real or not.
Posted by: Charmn Goldie | November 24, 2010 at 02:32 PM