worldwide
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star-studded
life By Myriam Chandna
S
he can trace a 1911 Cartier garland style diamond tiara back to when it was merely an idea. From the cuts of briolettes that suspend among the swags of the tiara to which aristocratic head it adorned, Daniela Mascetti is no less than an authority on the life of a jewel. “Reconstructing the history behind each jewel, why a jewel is designed in one way and not another, who it is meant for, who commissioned it, who owned it – these details fascinated me,” says Daniela, her cobalt blue eyes sparkling with the reflection
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of a collection of royal jewels belonging to Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, as she points out the intricacies of individual brooches, tiaras, necklaces, and bracelets, dazzling on the screen of her laptop. Mascetti is a senior international jewellery Specialist and Director of educational studies in International Jewellery at Sotheby’s, a leading international auction house which has its roots in the notoriously fashionable, once antique-laden Bond Street, where its head office has been located for over a century. A Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, she regularly lectures on the history of jewellery and has published several articles and books pertaining to historic and modern jewels. Daniela
has penned two books on 18th and 19th century jewellery, Gioielli dell’Ottocento (1984) and Oreficeria del’ 1700 (1985), both of which were published in Italy. She has also co-authored Understanding Jewellery (2003), a cohesive guide to the identification and dating of jewellery from late 18th century until the end of the millennium, with David Bennett, Chairman of the International Jewellery Division for Europe and the Middle East. She spoke at the Festival of the Senses, held at Ritz-Carlton, Doha. She recounted exciting tales and tribulations of the world’s most exclusive jewellery collections, including those the Royal Family of England, A-list celebrities, and film stars.
Archaeology to gems With a background in classical archaeological studies, she was no gem prospector when she stumbled upon jewellery and discovered her passion for the identity of jewels. “I graduated from Milan Statale University and began working for an archaeological museum in Milan,” she says. “Archaeology fascinated me and piqued my curiosity, but its implementation in many
“I am passionate about jewels, and I am lucky that my passion coincides with my job. But luckily for my husband, I am not a collector.” ways was extremely bureaucratic in Italy,” she says, referring to the Italian government’s strict control and influence over historic artefacts. As a young graduate working in Milan, Daniela didn’t lack creative opportunities. She heard about Sotheby’s running a yearlong introductory course on all the different subject areas they deal with, including jewellery specialisation and auctioneering. She decided to give it a shot, and enrolled in the programme. It was at Sotheby’s, that she officially learned something she had always instinc-
tively known; which is what had propelled her decision to shift to a realm where art was real and tangible, and where, it had a life of its own. “I began to understand that art was something you could touch, something that had a price, and not something that was out of access,” says Daniela. “This was the beginning of my 30 years with Sotheby’s,” she says. An archaeologist at heart, her ‘true passion’ is the historical and anthropological importance of each jewel. Customised aristocratic jewels from 1700s onwards are her forte. “Jewels from the time of the Art Deco design movement of the 1920s formed some of my favourite collections. Those are timeless,” she says. “Aside from that, nowadays I have started to appreciate beauty and quality from all different time periods in history."
Changing hands According to Daniela, her clientele’s selling and buying choices depend largely on what part of the world they are in. Most of her clients sell their jewels due to change 2010 August
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in fashion and/or lifestyle. While some clients value jewels by their social significance, others value them by the cultural or traditional importance attached to them. “In some cases, the kind of people who sell [jewels] are the ones who buy them, but not always,” she says. “Some people are simply swapping, because they have no need for those jewels or simply experience a change of lifestyle.” The progress of the auctioneering process depends on the assessment of the intrinsic value of a jewel. “Just like a painting, a jewel’s intrinsic value determines it’s real worth, what it’s all about. Sometimes that value comes out of the gemstone, but mostly, it’s a combination of intrinsic value, design, workmanship, age, provenance, and signature – for example, whether its Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels,” she explains. Daniela then provides a fair auction estimate of the jewel to the client and engages with them in discussion about their decision to sell a particular article of jewellery. She prefers conversing on a one-to-one basis with her clients and cater to their individual needs. “If they seem very reluctant to sell, I respect their decision, never force them. Though if they seem willing, I would suggest selling it and purchasing something they will enjoy more. A jewel is created to make a woman look more attractive and feminine, and if one jewel isn’t serving that purpose or another, why not explore something else?” she suggests. Once clients are ready to sell, cataloguing and photography of the jewels set the stage for final exhibition and bidding. “As a jewellery specialist, I perform the research required to create a catalogue of jewels and really have my input on a how a jewel is to be designed and presented in that catalogue,” she says. The auctioneering process is a delicate one, since Daniella must bear in mind that her buyer may be a seller in the future – a common scenario in which she is required to switch roles, yet provide a fair value to her client. “I have to be fair and honest to both sides, advising them on the best possible figures in my opinion,” she says.
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“I began to understand that art was something you could touch, something that had a price, and not something that was out of access.” Collections of note Over the three decades Daniela has been with Sotheby’s, she has helped auction several fine jewellery collections, such as the Duchess of Windsor collection in the artistically rich city of Geneva, Switzerland, in 1987. There were 306 lots in this sale, of which a 100 percent were sold, and which generated about six times the estimated $50,281,887. She confesses that the Duchess of Windsor collection particularly ‘stuck’ to her heart. “Not only because it was composed of fabulous jewels, but because each of the jewels was inscribed by a little message from the Duke of Windsor to the Duchess. Therefore the collection was unique; it had a very intimate cut to it, very personal,” she says. Further, the Duchess of Windsor collection supported a noble cause – all jewels were donated to Institut Pasteur, a public health institution which sold them to raise charity for their cancer and aids research initiatives. “Another absolutely wonderful collection I auctioned was by an anonymous owner. We called it ‘Bird of Paradise’, and it was one of our most successful auctions,” she recalls. Daniela has also been deeply involved with the auction of the aristocratic collections belonging to Gloria, Princess von Thurn und Taxis, Helen Beaumont, and Dona Lily Marinho. “With such heirlooms, it’s amazing to see the change in style from generation to generation, between mother and daughter,” says Daniela. As styles vary from era to era, the uncertainties of the fashion world are great enough to influence the social value of a jewel. What was once the vogue may simply
be a relic of the past, little required and even little desired. However, Daniela turns the challenge of adapting old-world pieces to fit a modern taste into an opportunity. “It’s very easy, just requires a slight change of perspective. I try to look at jewels in alternative ways, and encourage my clients to do the same. For example, look at a diamond plaque brooch by Boucheron, Paris, as if it is not to be pinned on a suit but used as a belt buckle. It becomes a completely different item,” she explains. “Similarly, if a jewel is very heavy and ornate, if you tone down the dressing, the jewel will follow.” In the past, Daniela has been exposed to jewels in the Middle Eastern and Gulf regions, as well as requested to examine them. However, when prompted to share some details about the requests, she reinforces Sotheby’s core value of complete discretion regarding its clients, and I, with little resistance, shift to welcoming her feedback on her favourite aspect of artistic creativity in Qatar. “I loved the pearls exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art. It was inspirational and extremely informative, aesthetically pleasing and beautifully set up,” she beams. “Some really amazing specimens are there. I thought of taking a quick tour, but ended up spending over an hour in the museum.” Having been immersed in the glitz and glamour of eternal brands such as Cartier, Castellani, Tiffany & Co and Van Cleef & Arpels, Daniela’s favourites have modified as they progressed on the timeline of signature jewels. “Cartier was the greatest between 1900 and 1930s, while 1940s and early 1950s saw a rise of innovation in the creations of Van Cleef and Arpels. Bvlgari was great in 1980s. So each different period, each moment has its peak,” says Daniela. It may come as a surprise, that with her treasure chest of knowledge about jewels, Daniela is not a collector. She firmly believes that working with beautiful objects round the clock makes her more selective by the day. “I am passionate about jewels, and I am lucky that my passion coincides with my job. But luckily for my husband, I am not a collector.”