The firm
A graduate gemmologist, Annabelle Cukierman examines, documents and brings to auction jewellery, watches and silver.
Partner auction houses
Boisgirard Antonini (two generations of trust) · Castor Hara · Biarritz Enchères (annual sale at the Hôtel du Palais) · Baron Ribeyre · Armor Enchères · Drouot
Independent of every auction house
Each piece goes to the house and the sale best suited to its market.
The right sale, never an imposed one
The firm works with several partner auction houses: each piece is presented in the house and the auction best suited to its nature and its market.
One expert, from examination to hammer
The expert who examines the piece is the one who describes it in the catalogue, champions it to buyers and follows it through to the hammer.
Buyers beyond borders
A 1925 Cartier necklace entrusted to the firm was acquired by an American collector without a prior viewing: the expert description and the dossier are enough to carry a piece across borders.
Expertise in four steps
Examination
Stones, metals, hallmarks, condition: under the loupe and with instruments.
Research
Signatures, provenance, comparable auction results.
Estimate
A value range against the auction market.
Report
The findings, set down in a report given to the client.
Estates and collections
We work alongside heirs and notaries, from inventory to sale.
Inventory by appointment
Pieces are examined and described on site or at the firm; no prior photographs required.
Confidentiality
Each file stays between you and the firm, from first contact to sale. Public lot pages never name a client.
Working with the notary
We work with the notary or adviser in charge: timetable, documents, division between heirs.
The right sales
A collection is not dispersed in one go as a matter of course: each piece joins the sale best suited to its market.
Gemmology, business law, art history
- Graduate gemologist
- Professor at the GIC (Gemological Institute of China, Wuhan)
- Former professor at the Institut National de Gemmologie, Paris
- Master’s degree in business law (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
- Master’s degree in art history (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
The interview
Conducted by Gabrielle Abada for Rhetoric Art, on the occasion of an exceptional sale in Miami, on 21 April 2015.
How do you choose the pieces for this auction?
The jewelry pieces presented in this sale are curated from our international clients, who are collectors and appreciate the beauty of these pieces. Clients may buy jewels because they meet a need and a desire to wear jewelry, but jewels are also a means to build a patrimonial estate, because they don’t lose value and are part of our history. Jewels reflect our clients: both travel across time and geographic spaces. Jewels have always spawned encounters and faraway travels, and have always been the source of multiple influences. The pieces that we have selected reflect diversity in terms of taste and style, the jewelers’ creativity and the richness of our preferences.
How do you build this trust with your clients?
I discovered the auction world when I was a child because my mother was an art amateur. I caught her bug! Art as a profession was clearly obvious to me. I’ve worked in Paris, New York and Geneva. I studied art history at the Sorbonne and Gemology to the point of becoming a professor. But mostly I have worked with the best of the art world, especially in high-end jewellery and diamonds. I have never stopped learning, discovering and exchanging.
My guiding tools in life and my profession are my passion and sincerity.
I share immensely with my clients.
Why sell in an auction house?
An auction provides transparency. It reassures the seller who knows the final value of his/her piece.
The buyer has a maximum amount of information regarding the object: its authenticity, detailed description, sometimes its origin, and an evaluation of the price that we call an estimate and which serves as a guide in the acquisition process.
Who are your clients?
Each client is unique. We even have men who like to buy jewels.
We have noted that quality never leaves buyers indifferent and they recognize value at first glance. Elegance is not unique. All jewelry styles seek elegance.
The final client is the person with the greatest determination and love to bring out the jewel’s true beauty.