Emily Waterfall
Head of Department/Director
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF DOROTHY RICE: MODEL, ACTRESS, AND ARTIST
Lot 51
A 14K GOLD, TURQUOISE AND DIAMOND BROOCH AND PENDANT
18 July 2023, 10:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$1,920 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Jewellery specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Lizette Becerra
Sale Coordinator
A 14K GOLD, TURQUOISE AND DIAMOND BROOCH AND PENDANT
Designed as a clock with movable hands, accented by a round and single-cut diamond and round turquoise cabochons, together with a pendant designed as a rising sun, brooch measures 1 7/8 in., pendant measures 1 1/4 in.
Footnotes
OVERALL CONDITION:
Metal stamped and tested for 14k gold; clasp secure; superficial wear in the form of minor scratches; overall good condition.
MAJOR COLORED GEMSTONE: turquoise
Approximate Dimensions: 3.9mm
Hue: greenish blue
ACCENT DIAMONDS: round and single-cut
Approximate overall color and clarity: G-H-I, VS-SI
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Approximate gross weight: 46.4 grams
This condition report is provided for your convenience based on the opinion of our gemologists. Bonhams is not responsible for any discrepancies between this information and other opinions.
Born in 1924 in Brooklyn, New York to a family of artists, Dorothy Rice showed artistic talent from a young age. At 14, she was invited to study at the prestigious Art Students League of New York alongside fashion designer Anne Klein and realist painter Philip Pearlstein. On an evening out with classmates at the legendary nightclub El Morocco, Dorothy was "discovered" by American Vogue photographer John Rawlings and her budding painting career was put on hold to pursue modeling.
Her modeling career started with pin-up girl and girl-next-door shoots for Earl Moran and Town & Country. It was Christian Dior who catapulted Dorothy into stardom as she was selected as the face of his revolutionary "New Look Collection" for American Vogue. Dorothy remained a top model for eighteen years; in 1953, Esquire did a thirteen-page spread on Dorothy entitled "The Girl Who Tops the List of the Ten Most Wanted Models." It was during this time that Dorothy met and fell in love with her husband, Stanley Chase, who produced "The Threepenny Opera" and the timeless science fiction classic Colossus: The Forbin Project, among many other Broadway, film and television productions. In the years following their marriage, Dorothy returned to her true passion for painting, and over the years exhibited her artwork in prestigious galleries around the world.
This special collection of more than fifty jewels is filled with treasures from Dorothy's suitors in the early part of her life (including Joe DiMaggio and Russell Aitken), and later from her adoring husband, Stanley. Bonhams is honored to represent this collection from such a talented woman.
