If there’s one thing you can expect from Sotheby’s High Jewelry sale on June 13 in New York, it’s that it will be chock-full of covetable carats and colors. But nestled among them is a quartet of provenance pieces from Emily “Paddy" Vanderbilt Wade. Pieces from the estate of the chemist, philanthropist, and great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt will hit the auction block—each an artifact from one of the great American dynasties, and a testament to a woman who was as brilliant as the diamonds she wore.
Sotheby’s
Born into two legacies—the Vanderbilts of Gilded Age lore and the Wades of Western Union fame—Emily was the daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt III, former governor of Rhode Island, and a direct descendant of both industrial ingenuity and patrician civic duty. But Emily charted her own path. In 1941, she entered MIT as one of just seven women in a freshman class of 728. She earned her degree in chemistry and married fellow student Jeptha H. Wade III, continuing a tradition of innovation, but with a decidedly forward-thinking twist.
Together, the Wades would champion science education and environmental conservation, co-founding the Museum Institute for Teaching Science and supporting cultural institutions with quiet but enduring impact. Yet for all her academic rigor and philanthropic reach, Emily was not above the language of adornment—jewels that, like her, balanced intellect, elegance, and restraint.
Sotheby’s
Among her jewels in the upcoming sale: a Cartier Art Deco bracelet (with an estimate between $60,000 and $80,000) featuring a streamlined, diamond-set architecture archetypal of the 1930s but just as relevant today; a Marcus & Co. sautoir (that could achieve up to $2 million) with a 9.6 ct. cushion-cut ruby at its center and diamonds throughout; a René Lalique pendant (expected to achieve between $20,000 and $30,000), a fantastical design from the Art Nouveau age; and a Tiffany & Co. tassel sautoir (estimated to fetch up to $60,000) that, though unsigned, is thought to have been crafted by designer Paulding Farnham circa 1900.
Sotheby’s
The sale also includes a second grouping, titled Joie de Vivre: A Journey in Jewels, which traces six decades of a single marriage through 13 lovingly chosen pieces from a private collection. These pieces include a staggering 35 ct. D-color emerald-cut diamond ring by Graff (with an estimate between $2 million and $3 million) and a pair of earclips crowned by 84 cts. of luminous sugarloaf emeralds (that could achieve upwards of $1.5 million).
Other high jewelry highlights include a 5.02 ct. Fancy Pink diamond ring (with an estimate between $1.5 and $2 million), a vivid 2.02 ct. blue diamond ring ($1.4 to $1.8 million), and more.
Sotheby’s
Furthermore, the sale has something for the collectors of craftsmanship as much as narrative: five Art Nouveau jewels by René Lalique. The standout is Le Vol de la Pierre—a corsage ornament in which nude male figures in molded glass attempt to pry a gemstone loose, while clothed figures on the front recoil in horror. It’s expected to achieve up to $50,000.
Altogether, the sale is a reminder that jewelry, at its best, is not just ornament; it’s storytelling. Now, as they pass into new hands, a new chapter begins.
From the article by Annie Davidson
