Christie's to Sell Sassoon Family Treasures
November 04, 24
(IDEX Online) - Jewelry belonging to the famed Sassoon dynasty is to be sold at auction by Christie's Geneva.
Five lots, including an Art Deco Cartier diamond necklace (pictured), will be offered for sale during the Magnificent Jewels event on 12 November.
The Cartier necklace, circa 1935, survived a World War II blast that destroyed the bank where it was being stored.
Total carat weight is 130 carats to 140 carats, according to the Christie's catalogue, including round diamonds of 10.58 carats, 7.80 carats and 7.24 carats. Estimate CHF 900,000 to CHF 1.3m ($1m to $1.5m).
The Sassoons were a prominent Jewish family, originally from Baghdad, who made their fortune from the 1830s trading a wide range of commodities to Kolkata, Karachi, China, Japan, Myanmar, and Malaysia.
Under the stewardship of patriarch David Sassoon (1792 to 1864) they established one of the first international conglomerates.
The Sassoon family went on to become part of Britain's social, cultural and political elite, and were known for their discerning taste and passion for fine jewelry.
Among the other Sassoon lots is a Cartier ruby and diamond necklace (estimate $250,000 to $300,000) and an Art Deco Colombian emerald and diamond bracelet, circa 1925 (estimate $300,000 to $400,000).