November 17, 2019Outside of museum exhibitions and trade fairs, jewelry lovers don’t have many opportunities to convene around their preferred art form. That’s one of the reasons New York City Jewelry Week (NYCJW) has become a much-anticipated highlight of the jewelry world’s calendar. Last year’s inaugural edition drew 10,000 guests to events throughout the city, ranging from goldsmithing at the David Webb workshop to chatting with the new guard of Native American jewelers at Mahnaz Collection. It’s a unique opportunity to engage with jewelry in all its facets, from soup to sautoirs.
This year’s NYCJW, running from November 18 to 24, promises even more boldface names and dazzling baubles to get jewelry enthusiasts’ hearts racing, and 1stdibs is proud to be a partner in the week’s events. Three top 1stdibs dealers even invited us into their New York galleries so we could share with our community an exclusive look, in videos by Douglas Keeve, at some of their most covetable wares. Follow @1stdibsjewels on Instagram, and join us this week as veteran accessories editor Maria Dueñas Jacobs brings some of these extraordinary, rarely-seen pieces “out of the vault” and onto 1stdibs.
Here, get to know these exceptional dealers, and discover more of their incredible pieces, from Belle Époque treasures to gems by modern masters.
MACKLOWE GALLERY
For NYCJW, Macklowe Gallery will present an intimate look at the best of jewelry from the past. It will also introduce guests to one of today’s most dynamic new talents, contemporary jeweler Neha Dani, who will be in-store for a conversation about her singular designs. Later in the week, Macklowe’s expert staff will lead an interactive course on how to date jewelry from the Victorian era through today.
This ca. 1925 Art Deco platinum necklace by Henri Picq (pictured worn at left and in detail at right) features a detachable pendant set with an emerald-cut diamond weighing approximately 2.5 carats and Old European–cut baguettes weighing a total of 40 carats. The piece also contains two emerald-cut and 44 calibré-cut emeralds weighing a total of approximately 7.7 carats. Top: Clockwise from left, Cartier Art Deco Porges sautoir, ruby and diamond pendant earrings, Etruscan Revival earrings, René Boivin starfish brooch
These Georgian diamond and pink-topaz earrings are among the remarkable pieces Macklowe offers dating to the Victorian era through the 1980s.
Lloyd and Barbara Macklowe established their eponymous gallery 50 years ago, with an initial focus on Art Nouveau furniture and decorative arts. Today, it is one of the preeminent purveyors of French treasures from that era, along with a staggering assortment of glass and lamps by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The Macklowes’ Art Nouveau connoisseurship eventually extended to the movement’s jewelry, like the ornate designs of René Lalique and Louis Zorra. While jewels from the turn of the 20th century remain a specialty, their collection now spans from the Victorian era through the 1980s.
Today, the gallery is led by the Macklowes’ son Ben and his wife, Hillary, who continue to focus on works of historical and artistic significance. Macklowe Gallery’s collection is filled with museum-worthy pieces, but the items in their collection are just as covetable for their inherent beauty. Antique gems commingle with 20th-century ones, the sleek Art Deco designs of Mauboussin and Tiffany & Co. conversing comfortably with the bold gold ’70s creations of Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Macklowe Gallery Associate Madeleine O’Hare’s Talking Points
FRED LEIGHTON
Out of the many treasures in its collection, Fred Leighton is putting the spotlight on brooches for NYCJW. Rebecca Selva, Leighton’s chief creative officer, has curated a selection of its most eye-catching pins and will host a talk on how to wear them in a modern way.
These 1970s rock crystal and gold pendant earrings are by David Webb.
Fred Leighton sparked an interest in and appreciation of vintage and antique jewelry like these gem-encrusted Art Deco bracelets, which include two Cartier designs: one with carré-cut sapphires (third from the top) and a platinum-and-diamond bracelet (bottom).
Today’s estate-jewelry collectors owe a lot to the late Fred Leighton. Beginning with a humble Greenwich Village shop in the 1960s, Leighton sparked an interest in and appreciation of jewelry from the past — pieces that, at the time, were often overlooked, if not broken up for parts. Thanks to his efforts, antique jewels came to be considered collectible works of art. Eventually moving to a plush Upper East Side boutique, Leighton’s discerning eye attracted legendary tastemakers including Diana Vreeland, Jackie Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor.
Leighton’s collection comprised pieces from the 18th century through the 1970s — from Georgian rivières to retro brooches — including superlative examples from every era. The firm today is characterized by the same eclecticism, combining designs from the toniest heritage houses, like Boivin and Boucheron, with works by such modern masters as Lauren Adriana. It has counted among its treasures numerous holy-grail pieces, and its gems are regularly seen on the red carpet, worn by luminaries like Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong’o, Nicole Kidman and Jared Leto.
Rebecca Selva’s Talking Points:
JOSEPH SAIDIAN & SONS
The Saidian family has been dealing exquisite gems for five generations, beginning in Iran in the 1850s. Since setting up shop in New York, in 1988, the firm has built a reputation for offering exceptionally rare jewels with illustrious provenances.
The treasures offered by Joseph Saidian & Sons include the Bulgari Tutti Frutti carved emerald, ruby and spinel bracelet shown bottom left. On the right is a ca. 1910 Belle Époque ruby and diamond necklace composed of more than 100 carats of unheated Burmese rubies and around 100 carats of diamonds.
The Saidians have handled numerous pieces with royal pedigrees, including the Westminster tiara, commissioned by the second Duke of Westminster; and the Alba Russian tiara, owned by the 18th Duchess of Alba (now also known as the Alba Saidian tiara). Other notable pieces that have passed through the firm’s hands include a Cartier emerald pendant from the Duchess of Windsor’s collection, JAR natural pearl and diamond earrings once owned by Ellen Barkin and a Van Cleef & Arpels emerald and diamond cuff previously belonging to Brooke Astor.
This 1950s Cartier Tutti Frutti bracelet, part of a set including a necklace, features diamonds, emeralds rubies and sapphires.
A passion for jewelry is in the Saidians’ blood. Ariel Saidian, the founder’s great-grandson, who now heads the business, began dealing as a teen and took GIA classes before graduating high school. He continues the family’s specialty in marquee 20th-century designs, boasting an especially impressive array of works from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as several unique pieces by David Webb.
