AuctionsSep 30, 2024
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Bonhams Reports ‘Fierce Bidding’ for Dianne Feinstein’s Jewels
All 74 lots of jewelry belonging to the late Democratic senator found buyers at Bonhams Los Angeles.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. necklaces were sold at auction this week. Her blue-green azure Malachite necklace with an 18-karat gold clasp (left) and her torsade necklace featuring eight strands of freshwater pearls with an 18-karat gold clasp each went for $6,400. The pre-sale estimate on each piece was $1,500 to $2,500.
Los Angeles—All 74 lots of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s jewelry that went up for auction at Bonhams Los Angeles on Tuesday sold.
The auction house said the collection grossed $500,000-plus, more than tripling its estimated value.
The top jewelry lot was the late senator’s platinum and diamond ring featuring a 4.14-carat E color, VS2 clarity diamond flanked by tapered baguettes.
A buyer paid $108,450 for the ring against a high estimate of $65,000.
Two pieces, an 18-karat white gold and diamond necklace (est. $12,000 to $18,000) and a ring centering a 4.40-carat Colombian emerald (est. $10,000 to $15,000), sold for $25,600 each.
A buyer paid $19,200 for a gold brooch in the shape of California, Feinstein’s home state and the state she represented in the Senate for three decades. The 14-karat gold two-tone brooch features a flower set with four marquise-cut diamonds.
An 18-karat gold two-tone Buccellati bangle sold for $17,920, more than seven times its low pre-sale estimate.
SEE: The Top Lots of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Jewelry
The auction house said the collection grossed $500,000-plus, more than tripling its estimated value.
The top jewelry lot was the late senator’s platinum and diamond ring featuring a 4.14-carat E color, VS2 clarity diamond flanked by tapered baguettes.
A buyer paid $108,450 for the ring against a high estimate of $65,000.
Two pieces, an 18-karat white gold and diamond necklace (est. $12,000 to $18,000) and a ring centering a 4.40-carat Colombian emerald (est. $10,000 to $15,000), sold for $25,600 each.
A buyer paid $19,200 for a gold brooch in the shape of California, Feinstein’s home state and the state she represented in the Senate for three decades. The 14-karat gold two-tone brooch features a flower set with four marquise-cut diamonds.
An 18-karat gold two-tone Buccellati bangle sold for $17,920, more than seven times its low pre-sale estimate.
SEE: The Top Lots of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Jewelry
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s platinum and diamond ring featuring a 4.14-carat E color, VS2 diamond sold for $108,450. The piece’s pre-sale estimate was $45,000 to $65,000.
This ring, set with an emerald-cut emerald of Colombia origin weighing about 4.40 carats and flanked by trapezoid diamonds, sold for more than double its estimate to achieve $25,600.
Feinstein’s 18-karat white gold and diamond necklace features three graduated rows of floret links set with round diamonds; it totals about 25.50 carats. The necklace sold for $25,600, above its estimate of $12,000 to $18,000.
This 18-karat gold Buccellati bangle is white gold with yellow gold borders and features round brilliant-cut diamonds set into the floral design. A buyer paid $17,920 for the bracelet against an estimate of $2,500 to $3,500.
Feinstein (D-Calif.) served as a U.S. senator for 31 years, from 1992 until her death last year.
A San Francisco native, she also served as mayor of the city for a decade, succeeding George Moscone, who was assassinated alongside City Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.
She was San Francisco’s first female mayor.
When Feinstein died at age 90 in September 2023, she was the oldest sitting U.S. senator. She also holds the title of longest-serving female senator.
“Jewelry was incredibly special to Dianne Feinstein, and it’s rare to find images of her without classic strands of pearls, diamond studs, and her signature senator pin,” said Emily Waterfall, the director of Bonhams’ jewelry department in Los Angeles.
“Her collection embodied refined sophistication, featuring pieces from renowned jewelry houses such as Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Buccellati, as well as some unsigned items that all saw fierce bidding. Her jewelry box was a testament to her style—elegant yet understated—ensuring that her jewels complemented rather than overshadowed her role as a leading figure in American politics.”
Additional jewelry belonging to Feinstein is being auctioned off online. That sale continues through Oct. 15.
Feinstein’s jewelry was offered as part of a larger auction of personal items that belonged to the longtime lawmaker.
The sale, “The Legacy of a Stateswoman: The Personal Collection of Senator Dianne Feinstein,” included artwork, furniture, decorative objects, and political memorabilia.
It garnered $1.9 million, with only one lot going unsold. The auction house said it set a new record for Bonhams for number of registrations for a U.S. sale.
The top lot of the entire auction was a painting by Irish-American artist William Alexander Coulter (1849-1936) of ships in the San Francisco Bay.
A buyer paid $229,100 for the painting.
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