Paul Flato’s Aquamarine and Ruby Belt Necklace
Paul Flato created his famous aquamarine and ruby Belt Necklace in 1935. Siegelson, a New York-based purveyor of high-end and rare jewelry, has announced that this iconic piece of 20th century American jewelry will be on sale at the Basel World Show later this month in Switzerland.
Flato, the jeweler- star of his time, who died in 1999 at the age of 98, provided jewelry for Katherine Hepburn in “Holiday” and Greta Garbo in “Two-Faced Woman”. Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and Vivien Leigh were also among his clientele.
The belt necklace features a buckle designed by Fulco, Duke of Verdura, for Flato and has had a turn on the necks of many famous Americans. The belt features 566 rectangular, and fancy brilliant-cut aquamarines and 39 oval fancy-cut rubies, and was once part of the collection of Linda Porter, wife of music legend Cole Porter. More recently, the necklace inspired Karl Lagerfeld, designer director for Chanel since 1983, to create a bejeweled belt for his 2011 Chanel Paris-Byzance Collection.
The 15.5-inch set has been signed by Paul Flato on the clasp and would be on sale at this year’s Basel World for a staggering $1,750,000. [Siegelson]
