Sotheby’s Fine Jewelry Sale Features Cartier Art Deco Collection

By Annie Davidson Watson | May 28, 2026

Sotheby’s is closing out its European spring jewelry season with an online sale from London that spans two centuries of design, and at the center of it is a private collection of art deco Cartier jewels.

The seven-piece Cartier collection, which belonged to a former model named Phyllis Frank, includes a diamond bangle, a lapis bracelet, and a sapphire and diamond double-clip brooch.

Bidding has already opened for Sotheby’s Fine Jewelry sale and closes June 3. Beyond the Frank jewelry, the auction’s top lots are two rings, one with a 5.72 ct. Kashmir sapphire set within a star-shaped diamond surround, the other boasting an 8.03 ct. brilliant-cut diamond graded G color, VS2 clarity.

bulgari ring — *Bulgari Trombino ring with 6.6 ct. sapphire and brilliant-cut and baguette diamonds, estimate $43,000–$56,500*

Another colored stone highlight is a circa 1970 Bulgari Trombino ring centered on a 6.6 ct. cushion sapphire. Pearl lovers will find a two-row natural pearl necklace with a marquise diamond clasp from the 1920s, and a four-strand natural pearl necklace with an antique heart-shape clasp.

A diamond and pearl tiara commissioned in 1910 and appearing at auction for the first time anchors the antique section, along with a pair of late-19th-century diamond chandelier earrings. There’s also a Van Cleef & Arpels sapphire and diamond bracelet from the 1930s.

Phyllis Frank’s Cartier wardrobe dates to the 1920s and 1930s and was acquired for her by her husband, New York financier Jesse Frank. Prior to her marriage, Frank—then named Phyllis Francatelli—was one of the original models at the House of Lucile in London between 1915 and 1920.

pearl necklace — *Pearl necklace with clasp set with marquise-cut diamond between brilliant-cut diamonds, circa 1920, estimate $67,200–$107,500*

Lucile, founded by Lucy Christiana (also known as Lady Duff-Gordon), is widely recognized as the world’s first global couture brand, with locations in London, Paris, New York and Chicago. Lady Duff-Gordon herself is credited with transforming how fashion was presented and sold, including staging the first theatrical runway shows and establishing modeling as a profession.

The Sotheby’s Fine Jewelry sale also features work by British jewelers Andrew Grima, Charles de Temple, Gerda Flockinger, and John Donald—designers who reshaped fine jewelry in the 1960s and 1970s by pairing unconventional gemstones with textured gold settings.

Lots will be on exhibit at Sotheby’s Bond Street galleries in London from May 29 to June 2.

Top: Phyllis Frank’s circa 1925 Cartier sapphire and diamond bracelet, estimate $40,300–$67,200 (photos courtesy of Sotheby’s)

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