Rare Treasures: Opening a Southern Socialite’s Jewelry Box

The last grand set of contemporary jewelry Marjorie Post acquired consisted of a necklace and earrings; the creation of Lexington, Kentucky-based de­signer George Headley in 1966, it was made of large and unusual baroque Burma pearls and moonstones. Headley sent the pieces to Post’s Palm Beach residence, Mar-a-Lago, for her ap­proval. Enchanted by the set, she wrote back, “The lovely necklace and earrings are going to live with me.”

Turquoise, amethyst, diamond, gold, and platinum necklace by Cartier, New York, 1950.

Diamond and platinum necklace by Harry Winston, Inc., New York, 1965-1966.

Antique ruby and diamond necklace and earrings, 19^th century. Maker unknown.

Diamond engagement ring by Harry A. Meyers, New York, 1958.

Post acquired the peridot mounted on the bracelet, a large specimen weighing more than 120 carats, from Bombay in 1965. The Asheville, North Carolina-born jeweler David Webb created this piece and a suite of jewelry featuring peridots on gold with diamonds for Post in 1966.

This antique ruby and diamond brooch is modeled as a hummingbird in flight. Post acquired it in 1952 and wore it frequently. After it was sold, along with other Post jewelry, at Christie’s in 1982, it disappeared from the public eye and only recently resurfaced. The brooch is French and bears a resemblance to a late nineteenth-cen­tury hummingbird piece from the longstanding Parisian jewelry firm of Chaumet.

A painting of Marjorie Merriweather Post.

Post received the Legion of Honor from the French government for her efforts to construct field hospitals in France during World War I.

A pink conch pearl and diamond brooch from the 1960s.

“Marguerite” ruby and diamond brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris, 1969.

A portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post in the 1940s.

More than fifty pieces of Post’s jewelry collection, considered one of the planet’s finest, are now on display at Hillwood for the exhibition, Spectacular! Gems and Jewelry from the Merriweather Post Collection, which runs through the end of the year.