Unique necklace with 423 diamonds and 1,739 sapphires on a frame of white gold set to become most expensive jewellery ever sold in Poland
A unique ‘cauliflower’ necklace made of 2,162 precious diamonds and sapphires inspired by fractal structures is to be sold at auction in Warsaw.
If it meets the guide price of 20-25 million zlotys it will be the most expensive piece of jewellery ever sold in Poland.
Auction house Desa Unicum said: “This is one of the most expensive necklaces they have ever created. Never before in the history of the Polish market has such an expensive piece of jewellery been sold.”
The Julia necklace was designed by famous designer Marc Newson for the exclusive French luxury brand Boucheron. It has been displayed at prestigious events such as Karl Lagerfeld’s haute couture show in Paris.
It took Newson over 1,500 hours to place the 423 diamonds and 1,739 sapphires on a frame of white gold to create the stunning piece. In the centre is a 2.5-carat diamond that seems to float.
It took over 1,500 hours to place the 423 diamonds and 1,739 sapphires on a frame of white gold to create the stunning piece.
The one-of-a-kind necklace was made in 2009 and is being sold from a private collection by leading auction house Desa Unicum, where it has been on display since 22 October in a specially guarded display cabinet.
The sale will not take the form of a regular auction but will be a tender in which confidential bids are being accepted from 19 October to 5 November.
In the centre is a 2.5-carat diamond that seems to float.
Desa Unicum said: “Representatives of the 160-year-old Boucheron brand admit that this is one of the most expensive necklaces they have ever created. Its price may exceed the record level of 20 million zlotys.
“Never before in the history of the Polish market has such an expensive piece of jewellery been sold.”
The design of the necklace was inspired by fractals, indefinitely complex and never-ending patterns that are the same across different scales.
The design of the necklace was inspired by fractals, indefinitely complex and never-ending patterns that are the same across different scales.
They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop and can be seen in trees, rivers, coastlines, mountains, clouds and seashells.
The necklace was named Julia in recognition of Gaston Julia, a French mathematician whose work described the complex process by which fractals are formed.
The necklace was named Julia in recognition of Gaston Julia, a French mathematician whose work described the complex process by which fractals are formed.
Desa Unicum said: “These are the kind of forms that can be seen, for example, in fern leaves or Romanesco cauliflower. Reproducing this structure was very time-consuming and difficult.”
Marc Newson is considered an icon of applied arts. Time magazine ranked him among the 100 most influential people in the world.
The Julia necklace was designed by famous designer Marc Newson for the exclusive French luxury brand Boucheron.
He came to prominence for his collaboration with famous brands such as Apple, Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Hermès, Nike, Hennessy and Dom Pérignon.
As well as jewellery, Newson designs aircraft cabins, furniture and clothing. He uses smooth, geometric lines, translucent materials and streamlined shapes.
His work is prized by collectors around the world and can be found in the permanent collections of the world's most famous museums: the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Pompidou Center in Paris.
Boucheron jewellery often achieves prices of several million euros.
“When designing 'Julia’ I wasn't thinking about luxury, but the technical demands, as well as the number of stones involved, which will probably make it one of the most expensive necklaces Boucheron has ever produced,” Newson told The New York Times Style Magazine.
Boucheron jewellery often achieves prices of several million euros.
The value of a necklace designed by Newson, if it beats the estimate of 20-25 million zlotys, could exceed that.
