Par Marie-laure Cassius-Duranton.
The highly original and audacious collection of the American heiress and businesswoman Michelle Smith has just been sold at Sotheby’s New York. Among the sculptures, furniture, vases, and jewelry by Giacometti, Lalanne, Noll, Cartier and Tiffany & Co, was the largest private collection of Hemmerle pieces. The latter was a hit with the bidders… With their strong design, impeccable workmanship and atypical selection of materials, the German jeweler’s creations stand out for their remarkable color and texture. Among the most surprising pieces were a necklace made of fossilized sea urchins with a patinated bronze clasp sold for $32,760, and another made of ancient walrus teeth combined with intertwined quartz and carnelian balls, which fetched $25,200.
