See Bunny Mellon’s Jaw-Dropping Jewelry Collection

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See Bunny Mellon’s Jaw-Dropping Jewelry Collection

Leaves necklace, 1956. Turquoise, diamonds, 18-karat gold, and platinum. All pieces by designer Jean Schlumberger, French, 1907–1987.

The Tiffany & Co. designer Jean Schlumberger created fanciful pieces of jewelry for Bunny Mellon that were personally meaningful and complemented her botanical interests. While she was known as one of his greatest patrons, Schlumberger likewise supported her artistic talents as a horticulturist, inviting her to design the garden at his home. This necklace, which appears at a glance to be orderly and symmetrical in design, demonstrates Schlumberger’s skill at infusing his works with subtle variation. The leaves decorating the turquoise-mounted fringe on this flexible collar are actually attached at different points and oriented in various directions.

Photo: Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon. Photos courtesy of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.