More than 100 pieces of Dior costume jewellery estimated between £50 and £100 go under the hammer at a sale at Farleigh Court Golf Club on February 22.
Christian Dior, who believed that “nothing is more elegant than a black skirt and sweater worn with a sparkling multi-stoned necklace,” used costume jewellery, often marked by femininity and use of colour, to compliment his own clothing designs.
He licenced out the manufacture of jewellery to a series of prestigious designers including Kramer, Henkel & Gorsse and Mitchel Maer to ensure high-quality products.
The pieces at Catherine Southon were made by Mitchel Maer who held the Dior jewellery licence as designer from 1952-56. The vendor’s father-in-law bought the pieces at auction in 1957 when the designer went bankrupt.
Among the lots are statement pieces such as pink and turquoise necklaces, bracelet sets and pieces featuring winged horses and cherubs. Most are missing the metal oval signature ‘Mitchel Maer for Dior,’ sheared off in preparation for the 1957 sale, but are easily identified from recorded designs.
The same auction also includes a route map of Winston Churchill’s funeral (estimated at £400-600) and two single owner collections.
