Important emerald and diamond necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels, circa 1948. Photo courtesy Sotheby's.

The necklace of swag design suspending five detachable clips, set with three step-cut emeralds and variously-cut stones including step-, circular-cut, marquise-, kite-shaped, demi-lune- and baguette diamonds, length approximately 380mm, signed Van Cleef & Arpels, numbered. Estimate:  230,000 – 320,000 CHF

Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Lily Pons

In 19thcentury Italy, the leading lady in an opera or commedia dell’arte was known as the ‘Primadonna’, literally the ‘first lady’. During her nearly three decades with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Miss Lily Pons embodied this role, her fame carrying over into both film and radio.

Lily Pons (1898 – 1976), née Alice Joséphine Pons, was born in France, in the region of Draguignan, near Cannes. Having studied piano as a young girl, her professional singing début came with the title role of Lakmé, at an opera house in Alsace. She built up her repertoire in Parisian opera houses before débuting at the Met in 1931 where she was instantly lauded for her performance of Lucia de Lammermoor. Exuding beauty, charm, and an incredible talent, she specialized in French and Italian coloratura parts and became the first soprano to reach the high ‘F’ composed by Delibes in his Lakmé opera, and also able to hold a high ‘D’ for nearly a minute.

In 1944 and 1945, Miss Pons toured with the USO (United Service Organizations), performing for American troops at military bases throughout Europe, the Middle East, India and China. By then she was a naturalized US citizen, and was accompanied on her trips by her husband, the famous conductor Andre Kostelanetz, who led a band composed entirely of American soldiers.

Miss Pons went on to star in three Hollywood films, includingI Dream Too Much with Henry Fonda whilst maintaining a recording contract with RCA, Victor and Columbia, leaving a vast legacy of recordings. Other honours include a Time Magazine cover in December 1940, a US postage stamp with her image, and a town in Maryland named after her – Lilypons, Maryland. From her native France she was awarded the Croix de Lorraine and the Légion d’honneur.