by Redazione 04/11/2026
Categories: Market / Disclaimer
On December 8, 2026, Sotheby’s will hold an auction in New York featuring seventy pieces of jewelry that once belonged to British collector Pauline Karpidas. With creations by JAR and Suzanne Belperron, the collection reflects the unconventional taste of one of the most original figures in the international art world.
After setting a record in London with the sale of her extraordinary collection of Surrealist art and design, Pauline Karpidas (Manchester, 1943) returns to the spotlight at Sotheby’s with another chapter in her collecting story: a collection of seventy pieces of jewelry with an estimated total value of around $10 million. The evening auction , “Pauline Karpidas: The Jewelry Collection,” will take place on December 8, 2026, at the auction house’s New York location, preceded by an exhibition open to the public starting December 2. The event comes just over a year after “Pauline Karpidas: The London Collection,” the sale that achieved an unprecedented result, becoming the most significant auction dedicated to a single collection ever held in London. The masterpieces of surrealist art and design from her London residence had fetched 101 million pounds, equivalent to approximately 137 million dollars.
Now the focus shifts to the jewelry, a collection that equally and significantly reflects Pauline Karpidas’s personality and aesthetic sensibility. Bold, eclectic, and unconventional, the collection brings together exclusive creations by Joel Arthur Rosenthal—known as JAR—and Suzanne Belperron, along with important retro-style jewelry from houses such as Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Jacques Lacloche, and Trabert & Hoeffer Mauboussin. The collection also features exquisite Art Deco pieces by Cartier and gems with intense, spectacular colors.
Pauline Karpidas, the collector who has made jewelry a way to express her relationship with art
For Pauline Karpidas, jewelry has never been merely an ornament, but a way to express her identity and her relationship with art. This sensibility echoes that of collectors such as Peggy Guggenheim and Dominique de Menil, who shared a passion for precious and original creations crafted by the most important artists and artisans of their time.
Her search was guided above all by instinct and a well-defined personal taste, without letting herself be influenced by trends. Just as in her choice of works of art, Pauline also prioritized exceptionality, imagination, and originality of form in her selection of jewelry.
Her passion for collecting was born and nurtured in part thanks to her husband, Constantine “Dinos” Karpidas, who, as she herself recalled, introduced her to “the beauty of wonderful things.” Dinos was particularly interested in 19th-century painting and Impressionism and had purchased works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet at auction.
A pivotal encounter in Pauline’s journey, however, was her meeting with the Greek gallerist Alexander Iolas, who helped fuel her interest in contemporary and avant-garde art. Together with André Mourgues, director of Iolas’s Paris gallery, he introduced her to Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. This association gave rise to a lasting friendship, which also led to commissions for exclusive creations and custom-made jewelry. It was an important milestone in the development of her taste, which was increasingly oriented toward transcending the traditional distinctions between art, design, and fashion.
From Andy Warhol to Yves Saint Laurent: Jewelry as a Distinctive Mark
Over the years, Pauline and Dinos Karpidas became leading figures on the international art scene, mingling with artists, gallery owners, intellectuals, aristocrats, and collectors. Among those closest to Pauline were Pierre Matisse, Paloma Picasso, Max Ernst, Edward James, Jan Krugier, and John Richardson. In New York, she moved in the circles of Brooke Astor, Jayne Wrightsman, and Dominique de Menil, while in Paris she came into contact with Sao Schlumberger.
It was André Mourgues who introduced her to Parisian high society in the 1970s, introducing her to Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent and bringing her into the world ofhaute couture. Pauline soon became a regular at the designer’s fashion shows and those of other famous couturiers, developing a personal style in which jewelry played a central role. She wore her creations with great freedom and imagination at dinners, parties, and openings, often pairing sculptural Belperron bracelets with JAR rings. This sense of style did not go unnoticed, even by Andy Warhol.
During a visit to the Factory in New York, the artist was struck by Pauline’s elegance; she was wearing a pantsuit by Yves Saint Laurent paired with various pieces of jewelry by Belperron and JAR. A deep friendship blossomed between the two, fueled in part by their shared passion for 1940s jewelry. In 1978, Warhol painted a portrait of Pauline, marking the beginning of a creative dialogue that would continue in the years to come.
“The bond between Andy and me began initially because of my Belperron jewelry: we both shared a passion for 1940s jewelry, and that was the start of a special relationship,” added Pauline Karpidas. “At first, he wasn’t the least bit interested in talking about art with me; he only wanted to discuss my jewelry. And when he came to London, he was eager to see my collection, which—I must say—he thought was fabulous.”
JAR and Suzanne Belperron: The Stars of the Collection
Among the most prominent names in the collection are Suzanne Belperron and Joel Arthur Rosenthal, known as JAR. These two designers perfectly embody Pauline’s penchant for unconventional design, which challenges traditional forms of jewelry. What Pauline particularly admired about Belperron was her ability to anticipate trends and follow her creative instincts. The sinuous shapes and color combinations typical of the late 1930s and 1940s represented, for her, the ideal complement to a bold and original personal style. Among the most significant pieces are two rare Chanel bracelets and several creations by the famous designer.
Her interest in JAR also stems from her admiration for artists capable of reinventing their own artistic language. Joel Arthur Rosenthal’s creations, characterized by unexpected solutions and surrealist influences, fully reflect the collector’s sensibility. Among the most important pieces of jewelry offered at auction is a ring featuring colored diamonds, white diamonds, and chalcedony, estimated at between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. The central diamond appears to be trapped in ice, evoking the image of a hidden treasure slowly reemerging as the snow melts.
Another significant piece is a necklace with a floral pendant, valued at between $250,000 and $350,000. It is one of JAR’s earliest interpretations of the floral theme, a recurring element in his work. The structure, crafted in gold, features folds and volumes that lend the piece a surprising lightness. The design draws inspiration from certain creations by Claude Lalanne, reinterpreting their forms through the use of precious metals and gemstones.
The set is completed by a sapphire and diamond necklace, featuring large, carefully matched stones, estimated at between $200,000 and $300,000. The padlock-shaped pendants, arranged diagonally, take on contours reminiscent of stylized hearts, introducing an element of visual ambiguity typical of the designer’s surrealist approach. Suzanne Belperron’s works also exemplify the creative freedom that characterizes the collection. Among these, a necklace-brooch featuring aquamarines and diamonds stands out, estimated at between $150,000 and $250,000. The asymmetrical and intricate composition has no direct parallels and features a removable brooch at its center, likely the original element around which the entire piece was designed.
From an 18th-century reliquary cross to jewelry that belonged to Warhol and the Duchess of Windsor
The collection includes more than just modern and contemporary pieces. Pauline Karpidas’s taste for historical objects is evident, for example, in an early 18th-century reliquary cross, decorated with sapphires and other precious stones, with an estimate ranging from $80,000 to $120,000. Worn by the collector at galas and dinners, the piece stands out for the vivid colors of its gemstones—unusual for the period—and for its distinguished provenance. The cross belonged to Francesco Martelli, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and cardinal from 1706 until his death in 1717.
Another defining feature of the collection is the provenance of numerous pieces of jewelry, which Pauline acquired at some of the most famous single-owner auctions organized by Sotheby’s. Among these are two pieces that belonged to Andy Warhol and were purchased during the historic 1988 auction of his jewelry and watches: a rock crystal bracelet crafted by Seaman Schepps around 1945, estimated at between $50,000 and $70,000, and a Verdura brooch set with amethysts and diamonds, accompanied by a pair of earrings, with an estimate of $20,000–$30,000.
Also of particular interest are a pair of earrings and a ring by Cartier, featuring ruby spheres, from the famous 1987 Sotheby’s auction dedicated to the jewelry of the Duchess of Windsor. The combined estimate for these two lots ranges from $100,000 to $150,000.
“There has always been something magical about wearing a work of art,” said Pauline Karpidas. “Jewelry has always held a special place in my life because, more than almost any other object, it has the power to preserve memories. A piece of jewelry becomes part of your story; it accompanies you through both ordinary and extraordinary moments, gathering friendships, experiences, and meanings along the way. From my admiration for JAR’s extraordinary creations to the shared passion for jewelry that brought Andy Warhol and me together, every piece plays a role in my journey as a collector. I have always felt a deep connection to objects and the energy they hold; now I feel the time has come for these pieces of jewelry to find a new home."
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| A friend of Andy Warhol and a discerning collector: 70 pieces of jewelry by Pauline Karpidas at Sotheby’s. Estimate: $10 million |
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