SurveysFeb 10, 2025
Jewelry Resilient in 2024 Even As Luxury Sales Slipped, Says Bain & Co.Bain & Co.’s latest report on the luxury market examines why the market’s customer base is shrinking and how to appeal to consumers in 2025.
AuctionsAug 20, 2020
Two Senior Jewelry Executives Step Down at Sotheby’s
David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti have presided over important and historical jewelry auctions and written books together during their tenure.
David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti have left Sotheby’s after four decades of working on its jewelry auctions. (Images courtesy of Sotheby’s)
New York—Two leaders of Sotheby’s jewelry department have stepped down.
David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti have departed after four decades with the auction house.
Bennett, its chief auctioneer and worldwide jewelry chairman, retired this summer after 42 years.
Gary Schuler, former jewelry chairman for the Americas, will step in as worldwide chairman for the jewelry division, Sotheby’s told Rapaport.
“While David has officially decided to retire, he assures us his interest in jewelry will never wane, so he will almost certainly remain a presence in our world,” a Sotheby’s spokesperson said in a statement to National Jeweler.
Bennett was appointed to the newly created role of worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s international jewelry division in 2015 but has been at the auction block since 1978, overseeing several record-breaking sales.
Dubbed the “100-Carat Man,” he has presided over the sales of seven 100-carat diamonds during his tenure.
At a recent auction of royal jewels from the Bourbon-Parma family, he oversaw a sale that set a record for royal and antique jewels at $53.1 million and for a natural pearl at $36.2 million.
He was also auctioneering at the sale of three of the five most expensive jewels in auction history, according to his Sotheby’s biography, including the CTF Pink Star, a 59.60-carat fancy vivid pink internally flawless diamond, and the Blue Moon of Josephine, a 12.03-carat fancy vivid blue diamond.
Bennett was at the helm when a world record was set for jewelry sales in May 2016, garnering $175.1 million for Sotheby’s sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva.
RELATED CONTENT: Up, Up, and Away: The Rise in Natural Colored Diamond PricesThe record price for a ruby and for a ruby per carat with the $30.3 million sale of 25.59-carat “Sunrise Ruby,” and the record for a jewel by Cartier, were also set under Bennett.
Bennett has built a reputation as a trusted source in precious stones and jewelry.
Art + Auction named him one of the top 10 most powerful people in the art world in a December 2013 issue. He was considered one of the top 50 most influential people in Switzerland by magazine Bilan.
He is a co-author of “Celebrating Jewellery” and reference book “Understanding Jewelry,” both written with Daniela Mascetti, Sotheby’s senior director and chairman of jewelry for Europe.
Mascetti will also be retiring after 40 years with the auction house.
She joined the company in 1980, as per her Sotheby’s biography,
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
opening its jewelry department in Milan.
She is a noted scholar in the history of jewelry, lending her research expertise to the sales of jewelry from the Bourbon-Parma family, including a pendant belonging to Queen Marie Antoinette, the Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor and the collections of Thurn und Taxis, Elton John and Gina Lollobrigida.
In retirement, she will dedicate more time to her scholarly pursuits, a Sotheby’s spokesperson said.
Mascetti graduated with a degree in archaeology from the University of Milan, learning to date, research, and value historical jewels.
She helped research jewelry for the “Castellani & Giuliano: The Judith H. Siegel Collection” in New York, which Sotheby’s described as a “landmark event” that “reinvigorated the interest in and demand for revivalist jewels.”
Mascetti is also the author of “Bulgari, The Necklace from Antiquity to the Present and Earrings from Antiquity to the Present,” alongside jewelry historian Amanda Triossi.
“Having been with us for over 40 years, David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti have decided it’s time for a new chapter,” Sotheby’s said. “We will miss them both and wish them much happiness.”
She is a noted scholar in the history of jewelry, lending her research expertise to the sales of jewelry from the Bourbon-Parma family, including a pendant belonging to Queen Marie Antoinette, the Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor and the collections of Thurn und Taxis, Elton John and Gina Lollobrigida.
In retirement, she will dedicate more time to her scholarly pursuits, a Sotheby’s spokesperson said.
Mascetti graduated with a degree in archaeology from the University of Milan, learning to date, research, and value historical jewels.
She helped research jewelry for the “Castellani & Giuliano: The Judith H. Siegel Collection” in New York, which Sotheby’s described as a “landmark event” that “reinvigorated the interest in and demand for revivalist jewels.”
Mascetti is also the author of “Bulgari, The Necklace from Antiquity to the Present and Earrings from Antiquity to the Present,” alongside jewelry historian Amanda Triossi.
“Having been with us for over 40 years, David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti have decided it’s time for a new chapter,” Sotheby’s said. “We will miss them both and wish them much happiness.”
More on Auctions
The Latest
CrimeFeb 10, 2025
Counterfeit Jewelry Kept Kentucky Customs Agents Busy in January, CBP Says Officers in Louisville seized 28 shipments of fake jewelry and watches that would have been worth more than $27 million if genuine.
CollectionsFeb 10, 2025
Hearts on Fire Flips Jewelry ‘Inside Out’ in New CollectionThe collection centers on the art of tailoring, inspired by designs that feature folded fabrics, such as a tuxedo lapel.
Brought to you by
3 Ways to Capitalize on America’s Newfound Love of Colored GemsColored stones are stepping into a jewelry spotlight typically reserved for diamonds—are you ready to sell color?
Events & AwardsFeb 10, 2025
Select Jewelry Show Heads to NashvilleThe trade show has added a new location to its fall line-up.
Weekly QuizFeb 06, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CollectionsFeb 07, 2025
Piece of the Week: Jade Trau’s ‘Ladybird’ CharmFrom the brand’s latest collection of lucky charms, the ladybird is seen as a bearer of good fortune and a ward against negative energy.
SourcingFeb 07, 2025
De Beers’ Production Guidance Slashed, Anglo Anticipates Another WritedownThe moves come amid a prolonged period of lower demand for diamonds, particularly in China.
Brought to you by
3 New Year’s Resolutions for Jewelry Lovers The new year feels like a clean slate, inspiring reflection, hope, and the motivation to become better versions of ourselves.
Events & AwardsFeb 07, 2025
Registration Opens for Stuller’s Bench Jeweler WorkshopThe workshop returns in March, along with the “Battle of the Benches” mini challenge series.
IndependentsFeb 06, 2025
106-Year-Old Jewelry Store Saved by New OwnersTwo attorneys purchased Windsor Jewelry, which was set to close, and will retain all existing staff at the downtown Indianapolis store.
MajorsFeb 06, 2025
Oscar Heyman Employee Celebrates 60 Years With the Company Adam Heyman joined the family business in 1965, just weeks after graduating from Columbia Business School.
CollectionsFeb 06, 2025
De Beers Jewellers’ New High Jewelry Pays Homage to the Beauty of TreesThe “Essence of Nature, Chapter One” collection echoes trees and roots, literally and figuratively, through three sets of high jewelry.
IndependentsFeb 06, 2025
Hamilton Jewelers Revamps Palm Beach BoutiqueThe fourth-generation, family-owned jeweler has given its Worth Avenue store a new look.
CrimeFeb 05, 2025
‘The Timepiece Gentleman’ Sentenced to 5-Plus Years Behind Bars Luxury watch dealer Anthony Farrer pleaded guilty late last year to defrauding clients in a scheme with Ponzi-type elements.
FinancialsFeb 05, 2025
Pandora Posts Double-Digit Growth After Strong Holiday SeasonIn its full-year results, the retailer shared its 2025 outlook and an update on the global rollout of its lab-grown diamond collection.
TrendsFeb 05, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: Feeling Fabulous in FebruaryCelebrate February birthstones and the gem shows in Arizona this month with a versatile stone like amethyst.
MajorsFeb 05, 2025
DCA Promotes Kristen Scheetz to Director of Education, MembershipScheetz has been with the nonprofit since 2007.
SourcingFeb 04, 2025
New Deal With Botswana Is Done, De Beers Confirms The agreement will allocate an increasing proportion of the country’s rough diamonds to the government of Botswana over the next decade.
Events & AwardsFeb 04, 2025
Van Cleef & Arpels’ Astronomy-Inspired Jewelry to Land at AMNH“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry From the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History.
SurveysFeb 04, 2025
Valentine’s Day Jewelry Spending Forecast to Hit Record High, Says NRFThose celebrating Valentine’s Day this year are expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on jewels, flowers, candy, and more.
EditorsFeb 03, 2025
Best Jewelry Moments From the 2025 Grammy Awards From Lady Gaga’s 1930s Tiffany & Co. necklace to Taylor Swift’s “T,” Michelle Graff recaps the night’s most memorable jewelry looks.
MajorsFeb 03, 2025
Qurate to Close HSN’s Florida HQ Amid RestructuringLayoffs will reportedly start next month as HSN plans to move into QVC’s location in Pennsylvania.
EditorsFeb 03, 2025
Q&A: 5 Jewelry Designers on Shopping the 2025 Tucson Gem ShowsA group of creatives talked to Associate Editor Lauren McLemore about their approach to the annual Tucson gem, mineral, and fossil shows.
CollectionsJan 31, 2025
Piece of the Week: Lalaounis’ Good Luck Charm for 2025The “Blossom Rosette” blooms with love, beauty, and hope for the year ahead.
IndependentsJan 31, 2025
Harvey Rovinsky, Longtime Owner of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, Dies at 77Rovinsky is remembered as a great mentor who made the employees of his stores feel like family.
Events & AwardsJan 31, 2025
Facets of Fire Has a Diamond Challenge for RetailersFor every jeweler who tries their luck, the company will make a donation to Jewelers for Children.
MajorsJan 30, 2025
WJA Chapter Leaders Resign as Fallout From DEI Remarks SnowballsThe boards of at least five chapters have resigned in response to controversial statements the WJA national board president made last month.
