See Bunny Mellon’s Jaw-Dropping Jewelry Collection

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See Bunny Mellon’s Jaw-Dropping Jewelry Collection

Flower Pot, 1960. Amethyst, emeralds, diamonds, black garnet ore, 18-, 20- and 22-karat gold, and terracotta.

On the advice of Schlumberger, Paul Mellon purchased an extremely rare 94-carat Kashmir sapphire in 1956 with Mrs. Mellon’s tastes in mind. Mrs. Mellon placed an order three years later for a “pot” to hold this exceptional stone. Ultimately, Schlumberger planted a sapphire-centered flower crafted from gold into an actual terracotta seedling pot from her Upperville, Virginia, greenhouse. In the spring of 1960, Schlumberger showed his Flower Pot to Mrs. Mellon, simply remarking, “She was delighted with it.”

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