In 1988, Gwendolyn Cafritz, a prominent figure in Washington, DC society known for her lavish parties, passed away at the age of seventy-eight after battling cancer. As the widow of wealthy real estate entrepreneur Morris Cafritz, she led a philanthropic legacy through the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, contributing about $6 million annually to local community and arts organizations. She was also a strong advocate of efforts to promote women's rights and civil liberties. Rago/Wright is proud to offer a selection of jewelry from Mrs. Cafritz's private collection to benefit the Foundation.
Mrs. Cafritz was a celebrated hostess in the 1940s and 1950s, competing with Pearl Mesta for Washington's premier socialite title. Her elaborate gatherings at her fifty-seven-room mansion on Foxhall Road NW were attended by political figures, celebrities, and dignitaries. Born in Budapest, Mrs. Cafritz moved to Washington in the 1920s, where she met her husband and became a central figure in the city's social scene. Despite facing declining health in the 1970s, she remained active in philanthropy and continued to host occasional events. She was survived by her three sons and thirteen grandchildren.
The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation continues to work toward improving the quality of life for all Washington, DC metropolitan area residents, particularly in the areas of the arts and humanities, community services, education, and the environment and health. Since its founding in 1948, the Foundation has proudly supported thousands of local organizations.
Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a diamond cutter, formed Van Cleef & Arpels with his father-in-law and dealer in precious stones, Salomon Arpels, in 1896. Following Arpels’ death in 1903, Van Cleef and two of his brothers-in-law, Charles and Julien, opened their first Van Cleef & Arpels boutique shop across from the Ritz hotel in Paris. Their success was swift, as is evidenced by the fact that a third Arpels brother, Louis, joined the company in 1912 to assist with the new branches being opened in holiday resort towns such as Nice, Deauville, Vichy, Lyon, and Cannes.
Van Cleef & Arpels became one of the titans of the jewelry world in the following decades, winning accolades, important commissions, and further expanding their global reach. In 1925, their red and white rose bracelet fashioned from rubies and diamonds won the grand prize at the Paris Exposition internationale des Arts décoratifs et industriels modernes. Eight years later, they received a patent for their famous Serti Mysterieux, or “mystery setting”, a technique which employs invisible prongs. Each stone is painstakingly fitted on to gold rails less than two-tenths of a millimeter thick, with each piece requiring 300 or more hours of work to finish. In the 1930s they were commissioned to make the crown of Queen Nazli of Egypt and in 1966, they were tasked with making the crown of Empress Farah Pahlavi for her 1967 coronation. Pahlavi’s crown took 11 months to complete and featured 36 emeralds, 36 rubies, 105 pearls and 1,469 diamonds.
Van Cleef & Arpels became the first French jewelers to open boutiques in Japan and China, and they now have stores across the globe, including the Middle East and South East Asia, and standalone boutiques in Geneva, Zurich, Munich, London, Milan, Shanghai, Paris, Boston, New York, Melbourne, and more. A brand whose name is synonymous with luxury, their jewels have been a go-to for royalty, film stars, and entrepreneurs for decades and continue to be to this day.
Auction Results Van Cleef & Arpels
