A Dazzling Ruby Bracelet for the "Best Dressed Woman in Town"
Sotheby's recent Royal & Noble Jewels sale in Geneva featured a beautiful bracelet that belonged to a fascinating American socialite who, after four marriages, became both an heiress and a countess
The recent Royal & Noble Jewels sale in Geneva garnered press for selling pieces of jewelry from royal families from Bulgaria, Italy, and Germany, but the sale also included other prominent pieces, including a spectacular ruby and diamond bracelet that belonged to an American socialite who married a German aristocrat. In today’s Hidden Gems article, our yearly special bonus edition for founding members, we’re exploring the fascinating life of the woman who owned the glittering jewel.
On November 13, auctioneers at Sotheby’s in Geneva opened the bidding on a diamond and ruby bracelet that they classified as “important.” The gold and platinum bracelet, set with “oval and cushion-shaped rubies” and “framed by old cushion-shaped and circular-cut diamonds” was signed G. Petochi. The Petochi family opened their jewelry business in Rome in the 1880s, producing fine jewels for clients that included the Italian royal family.
This bracelet, though, was commissioned for a customer from a very different background: a socialite-turned heiress-turned countess who was raised on a Kentucky horse farm and climbed through the ranks of American and European society to become a fashion icon and a celebrated hostess.