Editor’s Note
This article highlights the remarkable journey of a Cartier brooch, featuring a 37-carat Colombian emerald, which returns to auction after 55 years with an estimated value of $6–8 million. Its story underscores the enduring allure and significant appreciation of exceptional jewelry as both art and asset.
Christie’s will auction an exceptional emerald and diamond brooch on November 12, 55 years after its first auction in Switzerland.
Sold by Christie’s on May 1, 1969, for $75,000 in Geneva, this rare jewel is now estimated to be worth between $6 and $8 million. This price reflects both the richness of its composition and its history.
The brooch features a 37-carat Colombian emerald, surrounded by 20 marquise-cut diamonds.
Commissioned from Cartier in 1960 in Paris by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, it was gifted to his wife, Nina Dyer, a British model of Indian origin with a tragic destiny, who remained famous for her eccentricities and her jewelry collection.
Nina Dyer, who also owned Cartier’s “Panther” suite and several notable emerald pieces, wore this brooch on several occasions during her short life.
After her death in 1965 at the age of 35 and the initial 1969 auction, the brooch was subsequently sold by two other high jewelry houses: Van Cleef & Arpels and Harry Winston.
The auction is scheduled for November 12 at the Hôtel Richemond in Geneva, promising to be a historic event.