Lot 308. Suite of citrine ‘Reflection’ jewels, Trabert & Hoeffer – Mauboussin, circa 1940. Estimate $250,000–350,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Comprising: a necklace composed of graduated step-cut citrines accented with a detachable similarly-set brooch-pendant designed as a voluminous bow, together with a bracelet of similar design featuring an emerald-cut citrine decorated with ribbon scrolls, necklace internal circumference 14½ inches, bracelet length 6½ inches, pendant-brooch and bracelet signed Trabert & Hoeffer Mauboussin; circa 1940.

Literature: Mauboussin by Marguerite de Cerval, page 166

The Jewels of Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin by Yvonne Markowitz et al., plates 19 and 24.

Note: The American company Trabert & Hoeffer’s collaboration with the esteemed Parisian maison Mauboussin from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s resulted in some of the most extraordinary high-style jewels of the period, which were sold in the firm’s glamorous resort boutiques in Atlantic City, Miami, Palm Beach and flaunted on screen by Hollywood starlets like Marlene Dietrich and Paulette Goddard.

Throughout the 1930s, the American movie industry and its heroines came to define luxury and style, heralding the revival of feminine motifs exemplified by the voluminous, flowing ribbons featured in this piece. Overall, the stunning ensemble is an emblem of the femme-fatale glamour of the 1930s and 40s. New York’s 1939 World Fair had marked a lavish explosion of jewelry production fueled by a wave of prosperity. All thoughts turned towards the promise of tomorrow, and this youthful exuberance translated into warm, luscious gold settings and large, seductively colored semiprecious stones epitomized by the buttery cognac hues of this suite.  Paul Flato and Fulco di Verdura were also notable pioneers of this dramatic movie star look, and both served as on-set consultants for Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo, bringing jewelry to the forefront of fashion. Mauboussin’s French flair, in particular, offers a sultry, sophisticated take on the American-led boldness of the period.

As part of the firm’s “Reflection” line, this piece was promoted as “Your Personality in a Jewel,” as the owner assisted in creating a one-of-a-kind ornament by selecting from interchangeable design elements.  The piece is further “personalizable” because of its convertibility: the elaborate necklace features a removable centerpiece that can also be worn as a brooch. Compared to other jewels in the line, this unparalleled suite is also unique because the neck and wristband are set throughout with rectangular-cut citrines, forming a profusion of mesmerizing gems fit for a starlet. 

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels, New York, 05 Dec 2017, 10:30 AM