Legendary Jadeite - Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite Bead Necklace

Let’s take a look at a piece of extremely well-known jade jewelry that has broken auction records - the Hutton-Mdivani jade bead necklace from the collection of legendary socialite and famous collector Barbara Hutton.

In the 2014 Sotheby's "Magnificent Jewels and Jade Jewelry" auction held in Hong Kong, this jade jewelry was sold for a sky-high price of more than 200 million Hong Kong dollars:

HUTTON-MDIVANI Natural Jade Beads, Rubies and Diamond Necklace

Cartier, circa 1933

Made up of 27 natural jadeite beads

Platinum and 18K gold setting

Length about 530 mm

Jadeite beads are approximately 19.20 to 15.40 mm

Sold: HK$ 214,040,000

Who is Barbara Hutton?

In the West in the 20th century, Barbara W. Hutton was a legendary figure. She was born in 1912 and inherited her mother's huge fortune at the age of 21, becoming one of the richest women in the world. Barbara Hutton's life was one of luxury, and her taste in jewelry was also very noble, especially her love for high-end custom jewelry.

Barbara Hutton wearing this jade bead necklace

This jade bead necklace, custom-made at Cartier, was a wedding gift from Barbara Hutton’s father in 1932. Perhaps you are a little curious. In the early 20th century in the West, there were only a handful of people who knew how to appreciate jade. Why was this jade bead necklace given as a gift? The answer is - Barbara Hutton has long had a keen interest in jade.

How amazing is this Hutton-Mdivani jade bead necklace? I believe that everyone who has some understanding of jade knows that high-quality old pit jade is very rare, and the original stone is often not large in size. The diameter of the jade beads that can be made is generally limited to 5 to 10 mm, and it is even rarer to have both excellent color and texture.

The Hutton-Mdivani jade bead necklace is made up of 27 natural old pit jade beads with a rich green and soft color. The smallest jade bead has a diameter of 15.40 mm, and the largest one reaches 19.20 mm! Accompanied by rubies and diamonds, it was sold for more than 200 million yuan, not only dominating the auction, but also breaking the world auction record for any jade jewelry and any Cartier jewelry.

After the auction, Sotheby's Vice Chairman of Asia and Chairman of the Jewelry Department of Asia, Quek Chin Yao, said that the bidding at the auction was particularly fierce. Eight bidders on site and by phone competed for 20 minutes before the hammer finally fell and the necklace was won by Cartier. The transaction price also fully reflected the glorious history behind the necklace, which is truly legendary in the history of auctions.

Although the Hutton-Mdivani necklace has a distinguished history, the origin of the jade beads used in this necklace is unknown. All we know is that these 27 jade beads were first discovered in Europe in the early 1930s, and it often took Cartier several years to design and customize them, so their origin can even be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty.

Prior to the 2014 Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale, this jadeite bead necklace had appeared at auction twice.

Although this jade bead necklace is named after Barbara Hutton, she actually only kept it for about twenty years. Because her marriage was on the rocks, she was often distracted and later gave the necklace to her childhood friend Louise van Allen. Like her, Louise van Allen was once the daughter-in-law of the Mdivani royal family. Therefore, the Hutton-Mdivani jade bead necklace was kept by this family until 1988, when it was first seen at auction.

This necklace was sold for 2 million US dollars, which was the highest price for jade jewelry in the world at that time, and it was truly a sky-high price. In 1994, the Hutton-Mdivani jade bead necklace once again appeared at an auction in Hong Kong, and the selling price soared again, reaching HK$32.76 million, more than doubling.

From its first appearance to now, this necklace remains the rarest and most valuable jade jewelry in auction history, not only because of its high value, but also because it is full of emotional, cultural and historical heritage!

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