SOTHEBY'S
34–35 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON, W1A 2AA
An Ode to Yellow
Brazilian Jeweller Creates Capsule Collection For World-Class Diamond Boutique
Art and Architecture-inspired Pieces Designed to Enhance the Life and Light of Rare Yellow Diamonds
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Selling Exhibitions in London until 5 March 2019 and in Hong Kong, 29 March - 2 April 2019
“How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun.” - Vincent Van Gogh
The colour yellow has inspired some of the greatest artists of all time, from Rembrandt and Van Gogh to Mark Rothko and Anish Kapoor.
Incredibly rare and sought after by jewellery connoisseurs, yellow diamonds have similarly played a key role in the history of jewellery.
This week, young Brazilian jeweller Lily Gabriella Elia will unveil her first capsule collection she designed for Sotheby’s Diamonds - the retail boutique specialising in the world’s finest diamonds.
An ode to yellow, the collection predominantly features rare yellow diamonds set in breath-taking designs inspired by art and architecture – two leitmotifs in Lily Gabriella’s aesthetics.
Of various hues and shapes, the stones are a testament to Sotheby’s Diamonds’ unique ability to source and select diamonds of extraordinarily beauty and rarity.
Celebrating jewellery as a form of art, the nine pieces in the collection are on view in Sotheby’s London galleries until 5 March 2019, alongside works from Sotheby’s forthcoming Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary Art sales.
They will then be showcased at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from 29 March until 2 April.
Patti Wong, Founder and Chairman of Sotheby’s Diamonds, said: “Lily is somewhat of an architect of light and colour. The jewels she has created perfectly capture Sotheby’s Diamonds’ unique signature, where diamonds are the masterpieces, always at the heart of the composition. Some say yellow is “the new Millennial pink”!
With their resolute modernity, Lily’s creations will no doubt resonate to the young generation, but above all they celebrate the timeless and universal beauty of diamonds”.
Lily Gabriella Elia added: “It is a rare privilege for a jeweller to be given the opportunity to work with such a “palette” of diamonds and create the perfect frame for them. Each diamond has its own personality and my aim was to enhance their intrinsic quality and colour with the use of unusual materials and contrasting coloured gemstones.
"I have always been fascinated by the way architects sculpt light and this is what I have tried to reproduce here, with geometric and quasi-biomorphic shapes capturing the life and light of the diamonds.”
Many pieces in the collection take their inspiration from the Art Deco period: The Halcyon Earrings The bold stylised geometric design of the Halcyon Earrings is inspired by the iconic intricate lines of the Chrysler Building.
Each of these diamond pavé set earrings mounted in 18 carat yellow gold centres a radiant cut diamond: one Fancy Yellow weighing 3.53 carats, the other, Fancy Light Yellow weighing 3.03 carats.
The Solar Cuff
Reminiscent of the Art Deco sunrise motif, this sculptural 18 carat yellow gold hinged cuff with ajouré detailing has been designed to highlight and maximise the natural beauty of the 21.15 carat oval yellow diamond at its centre.
The stone is surrounded by white and yellow sapphires to recreate the fragmented shapes with multiple perspectives so typical of the architecture of that era.
The Honeycomb Ring
The honeycomb structure of this ring echoes to the natural geometric structures in the work of Santiago Calatrava and Jean Nouvel’s building for the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The fiery 6.12 carat pear shaped Fancy Intense Yellow diamond adds a striking element to the 18- carat yellow gold hand carved mount, enhanced with full cut white diamonds Lily Gabriella’s jewellery celebrates colour and as in many of her signature designs, the pieces in the collection combine striking colourful gemstones with unconventional materials.
The Holi Earrings Inspired by the riot of colours of the Hindu Holi festival, the Holi earrings feature two cushion cut yellow diamonds: one Fancy Yellow weighing 5.01 carats, the other Fancy Light Yellow weighing 5.03 carats.
Full of energy and vibrancy, the jewels are set with a striking array of pink sapphires and white diamonds, while the use of enamel and 18 carat rose gold adds depth and texture to the composition.
The joyful movement and their pastel colourway are also evocative of the paintings by Swedish abstract artist Hilma af Klint and Anish Kapoor’s beguiling “powder” sculptures.
LILY GABRIELLA FINE JEWELLERY
Raised in Brazil and Monaco, Lily is inspired by her passion for nature, art & architecture, having grown up in a household that celebrates artists and architects alike.
She was drawn to the energy and culture of London where she founded Lily Gabriella Fine Jewellery, designing private commissions by appointment. Her expert eye was trained in the valuation and appraisal of fine jewellery in an international auction house, and her technical capabilities developed under the tutelage of one of the world's greatest jewellers.
Lily’s jewellery celebrates her love of colour, vibrant design and exceptional craftsmanship. She creates statement pieces which combine sculptural lines with contrasting colours, unusual materials, and the finest gemstones and diamonds.
SOTHEBY’S DIAMONDS
A pioneering venture, Sotheby’s Diamonds brings together the most exceptional and desirable diamonds, cutting-edge design and superlative craftsmanship in a very modern, forward-looking House.
Independent of Sotheby’s auction business, Sotheby’s Diamonds operates purely on a peer-to-peer basis, matching individual diamonds with individual collectors at the highest end outside of the auction arena.
Sotheby’s Diamonds is marked out by its ability to link the entire chain of supply and creation – sourcing the finest diamonds and working ‘with the stones’ to produce settings for them that are not only of the highest craftsmanship, but that also, and very importantly, allow the stones to ‘speak’.
For this venture, Sotheby’s formed a partnership with Diacore, world-leading specialists in sourcing, cutting and polishing extraordinary diamonds.
Renowned within the industry, their artisan cutters understand the centuries-old secrets held within a diamond and know just how to unleash the beauty, inner light, life and brilliance of each individual stone.
Diacore is committed to making a meaningful contribution to the development of the communities in Bostwana and its Corporate Social Responsibility policy encompasses a number of initiatives, including the Gaborone Marathon.
One of the most respected and experienced jewellery specialists, Patti Wong, Chairman of Sotheby’s Diamonds, draws on her skill and knowledge as well as instinct and intuition to then select the stones that are always the starting point for a Sotheby’s Diamond jewel.
She is a true insider with an unerring eye and looks not only for superb quality, colour, clarity and excellent cut but also for charm and character, vitality, vivacity, fire, life and brilliance in each diamond.
Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world.
Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby’s presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby’s Global Fine Art Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine.
Sotheby’s has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).
