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| Sotheby’s |
We’ve got one more peridot piece to spotlight in our celebration of August’s birthstone: a dazzling gold and peridot fringe necklace that once belonged to the world’s bestselling living author.
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| Sotheby’s |
Sotheby’s sold the necklace at auction in New York in September 2014. The lot notes from the sale describe the gold and peridot necklace as “set with rectangular-faceted and pear-shaped peridots supporting a fringe composed of 86 drop-shaped briolette peridots.” The name of the maker was not provided; neither was the date of the piece’s construction. To my eye, it appears to be a relatively contemporary piece, perhaps inspired by jewelry of the ancient world.
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| Thos Robinson/Getty Images |
The seller’s identity was revealed however: the novelist Danielle Steel, whose romances have been on bestseller lists around the world for decades. She’s a jewelry lover, with an extensive collection of her own. (Above, she sparkles for a fundraiser for AIDS research in New York in 2005.) Her books often feature jewelry-centric plots as well.
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| Sotheby’s |
The eye-catching necklace features four rows of rectangular and pear-shaped peridots, bezel-set in gold. A fringe of briolette peridot drops extends from the bottom row, offering the piece a sense of movement and energy.
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| Sotheby’s |
A hidden clasp allows the necklace to look almost like a jeweled collar. I’d love to see a necklace like this one worn with a simple navy blue gown.
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| Sotheby’s |
Auction estimates for the piece in September 2014 were set at between $12,000 and $15,000. And, when the hammer fell on September 23, that’s precisely what the necklace fetched: $15,000. I can only hope the current owner is wearing the piece as exuberantly as Danielle Steel surely did!
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