The Jewelry I’d Bid On in Christie’s Iris Apfel Auction
The collection features more than 200 lots of fashion, accessories, and home goods from Apfel, with her jewelry grouped into 27 lots.
Apfel, who died in March 2024 at age 102, was one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design, explained the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which exhibited “Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection” in 2005.
She was known for her eclectic aesthetic that seamlessly blended colors, textures, and patterns in a mix of high and low fashion.
The Met explained her looks as blending “Dior haute couture with flea market finds.”
As a trendsetter, Apfel was recognizable by her oversized oval glasses, blue eyeshadow, feather boas, and her large stacks of chunky bangles.
Apfel began her career as a decorator and, together with her husband Carl Apfel, they founded Old World Weavers, a renowned textile company.
She went on to work as an interior design consultant for the White House through nine presidencies.
Christie’s “Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel” auction is a rare opportunity for fashion enthusiasts, as it offers a range of completely unique clothing items and accessories spanning eras, the auction house said.
For jewelry lovers, the sale affords an opportunity to snatch some statement pieces at (perhaps) more affordable prices than we’re accustomed to seeing at jewelry auctions.
Here are eight lots I’ll have my eye on when “Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel” starts later this month.
The Monies goldtone and black painted tiered feathered choker seen bottom right is part of lot 211, which is estimated to sell for $400 to $600. (Photo credit: Christie’s)
A standout piece that Apfel clearly loved was her goldtone and black painted tiered feathered choker from Danish brand Monies.
Apfel can be seen wearing the statement necklace in her portrait at the top of the story.
The piece is grouped into a lot along with two other necklaces and nine bangles, estimated to fetch $400 to $600.
Of the 15 bracelets in lot 14, the googly eyes pieces likely were designed by Apfel for her “Rara Avis,” which means rare bird in Latin, jewelry collection while Kolos Studio likely designed the beetle bangles. (Photo credit: Christie’s)
When it comes to her jewelry, Apfel was most known for the bangles she often stacked all the way up to her elbows.
This grouping includes my personal favorite—the bangles showcasing weevil beetles encased in lucite.
The 10 pieces in various shapes, sizes, and colors likely were designed by Kolos Studio, according to Christie’s.
This lot also includes pieces Apfel designed.
The four cuffs and one bangle featuring googly eyes set in lucite come from Rara Avis, Apfel’s costume jewelry line once sold through HSN.
The 15 pieces in this lot are estimated to sell for $300 to $500.
Apfel’s popcorn box earrings, seen top right, were designed by Deepa Gurnani and received an ACE Award in the fashion jewelry category in 2021. (Photo credit: Christie’s)
Apfel’s personal style was described as “witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic” by The Met, so in no way could we overlook her beaded popcorn box earrings.
The piece was designed by Indian jewelry and accessories brand Deepa Gurnani.
The couple behind Deepa Gurnani, Deepa Gurnani and Jay Lakhani, incorporate intricate embroidery techniques like zardozi, mirror work, and aari to create their accessories.
The popcorn box earrings were a third-place finalist in the fashion jewelry category in the Accessories Council’s Design Excellence Awards in 2021.
They are grouped into lot 216 with other beaded jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and additional Deepa Gurnani earrings. The lot is estimated to fetch $200 to $300.
The Christian LaCroix heart brooch, seen top right, and Kenneth Lane frog brooches, middle right, are included in a group of designer costume accessories estimated to fetch $400 to $600. (Photo credit: Christie’s)
No outfit is complete without a brooch and luckily, lot 208 contains multiple.
Two matching Kenneth Lane brooches take the form of frogs likely made from gold-plated metal with green cabochon glass eyes.
Also in this lot is a Christian LaCroix brooch centering on a heart-shaped stone that may be made of resin, surrounded by a branch design in an antiqued gold tone. The piece has some movement with what is likely a faux glass pearl drop.
These pieces are grouped into a lot with other designer costume accessories, including a belt, necklace, and another brooch with a pre-sale estimate of $400 to $600.
Lot 120 is comprised of animal pendants possibly from China with either stone or resin inlays. (Photo credit: Christie’s)
Who can ever have enough animal jewelry?
Of these five pendants, it was the turtle who caught my eye. It features a yellow jasper shell held by its silver metal body.
The piece, along with the four others in the lot, is possibly from China and was made in either the 20th or 21st century, according to Christie’s.
Altogether, this lot is estimated to fetch $200 to $300.
“Unapologetically Iris: The Collection of Iris Apfel,” which is an online-only sale, will be open for bidding from Jan. 28 to Feb. 13.
The full collection is available to preview on Christie’s website and at Christie’s New York from Feb. 8-11.
Select pieces can be viewed in person at Christie’s Miami from Jan. 24-25 and in Palm Beach at The Colony Hotel from Jan 29-31.
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