‘Patiño’ collection offered at Christie’s Geneva

by eyetee | September 24, 2013 12:58 pm

SB_necklace[1]Jewellery owned by Bolivia’s ‘King of Tin’ will soon be on the auction block.

A Cartier emerald and diamond necklace (estimate $7 to $10 million USD), a matching set of earrings (estimate $400,000 to $600,000), and a cushion-shape 32.65-carat F colour diamond ring by Chaumet (estimate $2.2 to $2.8 million) will headline Christie’s Geneva’s Magnificent Jewels auction on Nov. 12. All three are part of a private collection owned by Simón Itturi Patiño.

“When one looks back to the great jewellery collections of the 20th century, the name of Patiño always comes up,” said François Curiel, international head of Christie’s jewellery department.

SB_earrings[2]“In the 1930s and 1940s, during one of the greatest periods of jewellery design, fabulous gemstones and jewels were purchased by Simon Patiño and kept in family hands over several generations. The Cartier emerald and diamond parure and the 32-carat diamond ring by Chaumet are stunning examples from the ‘Patiño casket,’ which illustrate perfectly the high standards and great eye of this visionary man. History, provenance, and outstanding quality are here combined with the signatures of two of the oldest and greatest jewellery houses. These are true treasures for the world’s collectors of today.”

SB_ring[3]Born in 1860 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Patiño studied business before getting into silver mining, followed by tin. He discovered one of the greatest tin deposits ever known, later called ‘La Salvadora’ (The Savior). By the end of the 1930s, more than 60 per cent of the world’s tin output was being processed at his foundries, making him one of the five wealthiest men in the world.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: http://www.jewellerybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SB_necklace.jpg
  2. [Image]: http://www.jewellerybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SB_earrings.jpg
  3. [Image]: http://www.jewellerybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SB_ring.jpg

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