Wife of Former Cartier Owner’s Jewelry Heads to Auction
The Danziger family, which owned the brand for four years, tapped Bonhams New York to sell the personal collection of Gigi Guggenheim Danziger next month.
This Cartier necklace centers on three rectangular-shaped diamonds, weighing 1.92, 1.66 and 1.33 carats. The necklace is set throughout with round brilliant-cut diamonds. It could sell in the range of $30,000 to $50,000 at Bonhams New York next month.
New York--The wife of one of the former owners of Cartier Paris is auctioning off some of her jewelry, and she has tapped Bonhams New York to do it.
On Sept. 19, fine jewelry from the personal collection of Gigi Guggenheim Danziger will go under the hammer as part of the auction house’s Fine Jewelry sale, marking the first time the jewelry has appeared at auction.
The collection features 32 pieces of fine jewelry, including a number of signed Cartier pieces from the 1960s and 1970s, when the Danziger family owned Cartier Paris. The earliest lot dates back to 1957.
Edward and Gigi Guggenheim Danziger in Monte Carlo, circa mid- to late-1960s
Gloria (Gigi) Guggenheim Danziger was born in Cambridge, Ohio, to businessman Frederick Daniel Guggenheim (distant relation to the mining magnates) and Ethel May Lewison.
She attended Ohio State University from 1941 to 1944, majoring in education, and then moved to Atlanta and finally New York.
She met native New Yorker Edward J. Danziger at a society wedding in 1951. The two married later that year in Mexico and then went on to have two sons, Danny and James.
Edward and his brother, Harry Lee Danziger, were prolific film producers, creating more than 140 feature films in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as hundreds of hours of television. Then in 1958, the Danzigers acquired London’s Mayfair hotel, Grosvenor hotel and the Metropole hotel in Monte Carlo.
Ten years later, in 1968, the two brothers negotiated a secret deal to acquire Cartier Paris. As part of it, they also acquired Cartier shops in Monte Carlo, Cannes and Switzerland.
The Danziger family intentionally kept their ownership under wraps to maintain the Cartier name since the business, up until then, had been family-run.
An 18-karat gold cuff bracelet by Cartier, designed with openwork ovals and attributed to Dinh Van, with a pre-sale estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. Gigi Guggenheim Danziger’s husband, Edward, bought it for her as a surprise and gave it to her over dinner at the Monte Carlo Metropole.
Another Cartier brooch features a rectangular-shaped step-cut diamond, weighing 4.24 carats, within a cluster of pear-shaped rubies and accented by marquise-shaped diamonds. Edward Danziger gave it to Gigi as an anniversary present, and she then wore it to the London premiere of “The Godfather.” It has a pre-sale estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
This Cartier brooch centers on a cushion-shaped modified step-cut sapphire, weighing approximately 7.10 carats, within a cluster of marquise and pear-shaped diamonds. Danziger’s husband also gave her this piece, this time when they were in the South of France during a family vacation. It could sell for as much as $40,000.
This three-stone ring features a round brilliant-cut diamond, weighing 3.17 carats, between two pear-shaped brilliant-cut diamonds, weighing 1.02 and 1.00 carats. It is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000.
During their four-year ownership of the brand, they expended the company’s footprint by opening Cartier stores in Hong Kong, Geneva and Munich. The family also traveled extensively around the world as its owners, but returned to America in 1977.
Edward died in March 1999 at the age of 89. Gigi now splits her time between Los Angeles and Palm Beach.
There will be 180 lots available overall at the Bonhams New York sale next month.
Aside from the Danziger collection, one of its highlights is a 16.90-carat step-cut diamond ring set with round brilliant-cut diamond shoulders. It’s expected to sell for between $1.6 million and $2.2 million.
also features a number of Kashmir sapphires, including an oval-shaped version, weighing 7.54 carats, set within a surround of round brilliant-cut diamonds, which is estimated at $375,000 to $575,000.
Meanwhile, a rare Australian black opal and diamond pendant/brooch also will hit the block. The 48.80-carat gem is set within old European-cut diamonds and is estimated to sell for between $200,000 to $300,000.
This 16.90-carat diamond is certified as D color, Internally Flawless and classified as Type IIa and could sell for as much as $2.2 million next month.
This opal is one of the largest colored stones to be offered at sale, Bonhams said, weighing in at 48.80 carats. It could sell for as much as $30,000.
A ring featuring an oval-shaped modified brilliant-cut 7-carat Colombian emerald, flanked by similarly cut fancy vivid yellow diamonds weighing 1.09 carats and 1.04 carats. This piece could sell for up to $300,000.
This Kashmir sapphire weighing 7.54 carats set with round brilliant-cut diamonds could sell for up to $575,000 at Bonhams New York in September. It is accompanied by two reports stating that the sapphire is of Kashmir origin and has no indication of heat.
This Stephen Russell ring features a sugarloaf cabochon sapphire--5.33 carats, Kashmir in origin and with no indications of heat or clarity enhancements--set within a frame of old European cut diamonds. The piece is estimated to sell for between $150,000 and $250,000.
Another interesting lot is a diamond, emerald and ruby brooch, circa 1900, purchased at a garage sale in Ohio a number of years ago for $8--the second such lot to hit auction this year.
The owner’s daughter was at a jewelry store when she pulled it out and shared the story about how it came into their possession. To her surprise, she was told it was real.
Bonhams had it tested by the Gemological Institute of America, which confirmed the stones were gem quality.
The brooch features an old mine-cut diamond, D color, VS1 clarity, weighing 1.39 carats; a rectangular-shaped emerald originating from Colombia, weighing approximately 1.50 carats; and an oval-shaped Burmese ruby, weighing approximately 0.60 carat.
It has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
There also will be signed pieces from Harry Winston, Cartier, René Lalique and David Webb.
All lots in the Sept. 19 Fine Jewelry sale can be seen on Bonhams.com.
Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.
