Exclusive | The rare Egyptian jewelry now costs less than a Cartier bracelet: ‘Art worn’

Who does the jewelry need suitable for a queen when you can buy baoubles intended for a pharaoh?

Those looking for precious stones can bypass a trip to Bvlgari, Cartier or Harry Winston this Valentine’s Day and instead enter Christie’s.

Dear auction house is downloading gold pendants, rings, trinkets and more from ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt that cost much less than modern parts from modern luxury designers at a future auction.

The “extremely rare” historical artifacts, most of which are actually dressed, were owned by someone who lived in the five and often come with great mystery.

“I would rather have a amertist necklace with a strong historical presence than something else that everyone will wear and look alike,” said Hannah Fox Solomon, a senior and leader of the Department of Antiquities in Christie’s. Mail.

“You can wear this and have a unique, special part of the conversation and not what all your friends wear for a price fraction.”

Compared to the classic Cartier love bracelet – the $ 8,000 minimalist bracelet that requires a screwdriver to be fixed and is loved by celebrities and fashionistas – Christie’s estimates that a group of ancient Rome bracelets is expected to cost 4,000 to $ 6,000 in February. 4 auction.

One three gold rings – one adjacent to a carved stone carved with a sphinx, the other made in a small copy of a lantern, and the third created to look like two heads – is expected to cost $ 5,000 to $ 7,000.

While their whole story is unknown-the auctioned parts were part of the Kofler-Truniger collection and in possession of a man and woman couple before being sold to a private individual-fingernails are estimated to be nearly 2,000 years old. .

Similarly, a necklace with amethyst beads from ancient Rome that is estimated to be from the first century BC to the 1st century AD is expected to cost 6,000 to $ 8,000, much less than the cost of a fashion necklace Oniks Alhambra with 10 motifs by Van Cleef & Arpels, which rings at about $ 9,000.

“While it is less than a Bvlgari necklace, this is the best of the best of what we offer,” Solomon said, remembering a client who bought the wholesale beads to distribute it to her staff .

Two different earrings will also auction. A pair of ancient Greece contains crushed gold eagles located near small green enamel birds, which are expected to require $ 10,000 to $ 15,000.

The other couple, from the geometric period around 750 to 725 BC, were glued with gold discs with a cavity in the center where it may have been a gem. They look almost like a kind of ear cuff and Solomon said humorously that they are often compared to a Bluetooth device in the ear.

“These are too rare,” she said. “They are earrings. The way they are dressed is for debate. ”

The parts, of which there are only three examples known today, are expected to cost $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 – despite the mystery of how to model them.

But why so affordable? Of course it is not because the parts are not precious, Solomon said.

“Ancient jewelry is much less expensive than retail now,” she said. In fact, some of the articles in auction are extremely rare.

“It’s not like a warhol where you say, ‘I like this print … I want another to look exactly the same,’ she said.

However, the most expensive article to be auctioned is a gold strap necklace from ancient Greece, which is decorated with pendants resembling beech nuts that are glued along the length of the necklace. The part is expected to be auction for $ 20,000 to $ 30,000.

Gold -decorated necklace dates back to the Hellenistic period, at one time, Solomon explained, when Greek culture became “very rich”, previous metals were highly valued and jewelry as a whole were “at their peak”.

Although she could not determine exactly “how much work of a day” would cost to make part of this collection – or how expensive jewelry were in their origin – she does not believe it was strictly reserved for elites of society or “royal class”.

“I think there were a number of people who have worn this,” Solomon said.

“I would imagine that gold and the time it takes to do this would make it more expensive, so the simplest things that have no beads and that have no precious amethyst or gold – that could have been stone – would be less valuable than not. ”

But the most striking part of the collection is not just the price. The parts are, for the most part, completely dressed, regardless of their age – Solomon calls the “art wearing” jewelry.

However, some have been modified or may be modified if they cannot be worn immediately.

For example, a jeweler can put an extension on a necklace if it is too short, or bracelets can become earrings. The amertist necklace, for example, has been restored and a modern clip is adjacent, “which is the beautiful balance of how you can wear ancient jewelry,” Solomon added.

As for the gold parts almost 24 carat – which are almost pure gold – she warned that they are too soft, so it is not ideal for everyday use. Today, gold is usually sold with a lower carat because it is mixed with other metals to make it stronger, she explained.

When she dressed in ancient parts, then, she advised to wear them on “a special occasion”, like a gala or dinner with friends, “instead of washing dishes”.

But not all the parts that come to the auction are jewelry – there is a prominent object that has proven to be a scratch of the head.

An icon of Zeus in the size of the palm – with modern precious stones that have been added in the years since its creation – is an “anomaly”.

“Jewelry is more direct,” Solomon said. “She was worn either in life or in death.”

However, the golden figure has an attachment to the back and bottom, which is curved, making the piece unable to sit.

While they have “ideas” how they can be worn or used, they are not sure – and they can never know.

“Maybe it’s dressed as part of a diadem? Was he adjacent to a personal piety altar in one’s home? ” Solomon thought, adding that the future owner will have to decide how to display or use it.

“But sometimes, they are just strange objects like the one you have to value for beauty.”