In Betty White’s Blockbuster Estate Sale, Jewelry Held Its Own

Fine jewelry comprised three of the auction’s top 10 lots, though it could not top her director’s chair or scripts from “The Golden Girls.”

Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

20220927_Betty White Van Cleef brooch header.jpg

Betty White’s signed 18-karat gold Van Cleef & Arpels brooch set with sapphires and diamonds sold for $21,875 at Julien’s Auctions recent three-day auction of the late actress’ estate. The brooch is believed to be a gift from her late husband, actor and game show host Allen Ludden.

Beverly Hills, California—It is an auction outcome befitting of one of the best-loved actresses in Hollywood.

From Sept. 23-25, Julien’s Auctions sold more than 1,600 lots of jewelry, clothing, furniture, artwork and assorted memorabilia from the estate of Emmy-winning actress Betty White, who died Dec. 31, 2021, at age 99.

Every lot in the auction sold, with many soaring past pre-sale estimates and the total exceeding $4 million, blowing away the original estimate of $400,000 to $600,000.

While the top lot of the auction was a piece of memorabilia from “The Golden Girls” set, her jewelry made a strong showing, with three of the actress’ personal pieces landing in the sale’s top 10.

Her 14-karat white gold sapphire and diamond necklace sold for $35,200; only five of the auction’s lots garnered more.

The simple pendant, featuring a sapphire estimated to be between 7-8.5 carats and a half-carat round diamond, soared past pre-sale estimates of $1,000-$2,000, likely due in part to the high-profile screen time it notched.

White wore the necklace on episodes of The Golden Girls and the “A Girl Like Mary” episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” as well as to the Primetime Emmys in 1976, where she won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Sue Ann Nivens on Mary Tyler Moore.

Another sapphire piece—this one a ring White wore on The Mary Tyler Moore show and The Golden Girls—sold for $32,000, against an estimate of $800-$1,200, making it the seventh most expensive lot in the sale.

SEE: Betty White’s Jewelry Sold at Auction

1-20220412_4-Betty White gem necklace.jpg — Betty White wore this 14-karat white gold sapphire and diamond pendant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” to the Primetime Emmys in 1976, and on “The Golden Girls.” A buyer paid $35,200 for it at Julien’s Auctions’ recent sale of the late actress’ estate.

2-20220927_Betty White sapphire ring.jpg — Although not a September baby (White was born in January), she seemed to have an affinity for sapphires. This white gold ring featuring a cushion-cut sapphire and 35 round diamonds weighing about 2 carats sold for $32,000. White wore it on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and on the season 2 episode of The Golden Girls titled “Ladies of the Evening.”

3-20220927_Betty White wedding ring.jpg — White’s gold and diamond ring from her marriage to Allen Ludden sold for nearly $26,000.

4-20220927_Allen Ludden wedding band.jpg — Ludden’s ring went for $12,800. It is engraved with “6-14-63,” the date of his marriage to White and the words, “I really do.”

5-20220927_White Ruser fortune cookie.jpg — White’s vintage Ruser 14- and 18-karat gold fortune cookie brooch sold for $5,760. The cookie’s retractable 18-karat white gold fortune reads, “And he’ll be short, gray, and then some.”

6-20220927_White enamel jewelry.jpg — These cream-colored enamel clip earrings and matching ring sold for $12,800. White wore the suite on multiple episodes of The Golden Girls.

Rounding out the auction’s top 10 at No. 9 was White’s diamond and gold wedding band from husband Allen Ludden, while his plain gold band landed at No. 25 out of the more than 1,600 lots.

Ludden and White married at the Las Vegas Convention Center on June 14, 1963, and they remained married until he died of cancer in 1981. White never remarried.

Her wedding ring was white and yellow gold with 1.15 carats of round diamonds. It sold for $25,600, topping the pre-sale estimate of $800 to $1,200.

His is engraved with the words “6-14-63 I really do” and went for $12,800. It was estimated at $600-$800.

“You would be hard-pressed to find an individual as iconic and well-loved as Betty White, whose impact is absolutely multi-generational,” Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions, said.

“This auction represented a collection unlike anything we have ever seen before which brought in record-breaking results and thousands of Betty’s most loyal fans from all over the world who participated.”