A jaw-dropping jewelry collection belonging by President Eisenhower’s late granddaughter is set to go under the hammer next month, with the haul of 31 lot items set to make more than $10.5 million.
After spending much of her childhood in the White House, Anne Eisenhower made a name for herself as a celebrated New York-based interior designer and philanthropist.
Following her unexpected death last year at the age of 73, her jewels from an array of designers including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston are being auctioned by Christie’s on June 9.
Going by the top end estimates, DailyMail.com calculates the hoard will make in the region of $10,523,000.
After spending much of her childhood in the White House, Anne Eisenhower made a name for herself as a celebrated New York-based interior designer and philanthropist
A star lot of the collection is the iconic ‘Jarretière’ ruby and diamond bracelet, which was acquired by actress Marlene Dietrich in 1937 from Van Cleef & Arpels
Designed as a panther, this brooch by Cartier with a top end estimate of $150,000 features round and single-cut yellow diamonds, onyx plaques, and pear-shaped emeralds
LEFT: A giant diamond ring of 20.54 carats by an unknown designer (estimated to fetch up to $1.8 million). RIGHT: An Art Deco bracelet by Cartier (estimated to fetch up to $250,000)
A photo taken in London in 1962 showing President Eisenhower with his wife Mamie (L), his grandson David and his granddaughter Anne
A star lot of the collection is the iconic ‘Jarretière’ ruby and diamond bracelet, which was acquired by actress Marlene Dietrich in 1937 from Van Cleef & Arpels, and boasts a top end estimate of $4.5 million.
It was worn by the screen siren in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950 murder mystery ‘Stage Fright’ followed by the 1951 Academy Awards.
Ms Eisenhower went on to purchase it in 1992 at auction – making its way from one iconic collection to another.
After purchasing the bracelet, Eisenhower enlisted Van Cleef & Arpels to make a complementary necklace and earrings and all three works are being offered in the upcoming sale.
Additional highlights include a rare Art Deco diamond and gem bracelet depicting a rose by Tiffany & Co. (estimated to fetch between $500,000 to $700,000), a dazzling Art Deco diamond bracelet by Cartier (estimated to fetch between $150,000 to $250,000) as well as a giant diamond ring of 20.54 carats by an unknown designer (estimated to fetch between $1.2 million to $1.8 million).
Lisa Hubbard, a senior advisor on jewelry at Christie’s, shared a decades-long friendship with Ms. Eisenhower and the two bonded over their love of fine jewels.
Hubbard remembers Ms. Eisenhower as being the sort of person that everyone noticed when she walked into a room, ‘not because she was over the top, but because she sailed in and was simply an elegant presence.’
One of the jewelry expert’s favorite pieces in the sale is a sapphire and diamond ‘waterfall’ necklace and earrings, also by Van Cleef & Arpels.
‘I’d not seen that pattern before, and they’re so flattering,’ she explained. ‘They show what good jewelry is all about.’
As a tribute to Ms. Eisenhower, Christie’s will launch a global tour of ‘The Magnificent Jewels of Anne Eisenhower’ beginning in Los Angeles and continuing in Shanghai, Paris, Taipei, Geneva, and Hong Kong.
(L-R) David Eisenhower (back to camera), Anne Eisenhower, and publisher Kip Forbes attend an event at Mortimer’s restaurant in New York City on October 28, 1986
A show-stopping Van Cleef & Arpels platinum necklace featuring sapphires and diamonds and with a top end estimate of $500,000
These ruby and diamond earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels have a top end estimate of $60,000
Anne Eisenhower seen wearing the ruby and diamond earrings with the matching necklace (also in the sale) at a gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on October 25, 1995
A Van Cleef & Arpels emerald and diamond necklace featuring platinum and yellow gold, with a top end estimate of $300,000
Prince Charles attends a formal dance at the White House in 1970 with Tricia Nixon (next to him), and above on stairs (left to right) Anne, David and Julie Eisenhower
The full collection will culminate in New York on June 7, and will be sold in a live and online sale during Christie’s Luxury Week.
Commenting on the glittering collection of treasures Marc Porter, chairman of Christie’s Americas, said: ‘From Marlene Dietrich to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Anne Eisenhower Collection traces the history of the last century through a single collector’s brilliant passion for fine jewels.
‘Anne Eisenhower had a keen eye for the finest examples of the jeweler’s art, and her collection tells fascinating and interwoven stories of patrons and collectors.’
Meanwhile Daphne Lingon, the head of jewelry for Christie’s Americas, mused: ‘Christie’s is truly honored to be entrusted with the Magnificent Jewels of Anne Eisenhower, a woman who led an extraordinary life of taste, style and philanthropy, while remaining true to her values.
‘From exquisite designs by Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels to important gemstones, this auction presents a unique opportunity for collectors to obtain a jewel that was thoughtfully acquired over a 40 year period by a true tastemaker.’
Ms. Eisenhower’s family say the auction is an appropriate way of celebrating her life.
Her granddaughter Camila Mendoza told Christie’s: ‘While these jewels are indeed breath-taking, my grandmother is the real gem that we are celebrating… and that we will celebrate always.’
In terms of her career, Ms. Eisenhower – who was the daughter of military historian John Eisenhower and his wife Barbara (ne’ Thompson) – started out working under New York design legend Dorothy Draper in the late 1970s before going on to found her eponymous firm, which specialized in traditional residential design.
In 1990 she was branded one of the world’s top 100 designers by Architectural Digest and she told the publication that her signature interior design style was ‘traditional, but for today’s living: comfortable, with a ‘lived-in’ look; uncluttered without appearing austere.’
On the philanthropy side of things, she served on the board of Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education for 25 years.
Her charitable causes included the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the American Heart Association, and Eisenhower family legacy work, among others.
Anne is survived by her daughter Adriana Echavarria, her grandchildren Camila Mendoza and Nico Mendoza and her husband of 31 years Wolfgang K. Flottl.