Sotheby's Celebrates Jeweler Mellerio

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's will hold an exhibition and sale of pieces Parisian jewelry house Mellerio made for royals including Marie Antoinette.The exhibition, which will showcase some of the jeweler's most important commissions, is set to take place from March 28 to 31. It will feature 17 items made by the 407-year-old brand, which have been worn by Marie de Medici, former queen of France, as well as members of the dynasties of Queen Victoria, the maharaja of Kapurthala, the queens of Europe and the czarina of Russia, Sotheby's said last week.An 18th-century antique cameo and ruby bracelet, set with seven cameos featuring Roman emperors, will lead the show. Jean-Baptiste Mellerio most likely sold the piece to Marie Antoinette in 1780. Sotheby's will also feature an articulated and transformable peacock feather brooch with calibrated diamonds, sapphires and rubies surrounding a large emerald, which Empress Eug?(C)nie, wife of Napoleon III, purchased in 1868.Other notable items include a pearl, pink gold, diamond and enamel choker from 1900, and a diamond and turquoise floral tiara from 1860.Sotheby's will also auction 25 of the jeweler's works, including a diamond and sapphire demi-parure composed of a necklace created in 1977, and a 1979 bracelet. The set, which will be featured at the Paris Joaillerie sale on April 1, is estimated at EUR 30,000 to EUR 40,000 ($34,220 to $45,627). Meanwhile, a 1979 collection featuring a necklace and a pair of earrings set with oval cabochon emeralds will also go under the hammer, carrying a presale estimate of EUR 20,000 to EUR 40,000 ($22,821 to $45,627). A necklace containing a 19.76-carat cabochon emerald drop, made in 1977, is also valued at EUR 20,000 to EUR 40,000. Image: An 18th century antique Mellerio cameo and ruby bracelet most likely sold to Marie Antoinette. (Sotheby's)