ADAM'S Fine Jewellery & Ladies Watches 12th May 2026

TUESDAY 12 TH MAY 2026 . STARTING AT 4PM 126 An iconic expression of late-1960s modernist glamour, this convertible belt-necklace was designed by Lisa Sotilis for Cartier in 1969–1970, at a dazzling moment of reinvention for the house. Greek-born and active across sculpture, painting and jewel- lery, Sotilis was among the most magnetic creative figures of her generation, bringing to Cartier a sensuous, sculptural vision shaped by her training at the Accademia di Brera in Milan and by an early career championed by the celebrated dealer Alexander Iolas. Her importance is further reflected by the presence of her work in major museum collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Under the direc- tion of Michael Thomas in New York, Cartier embraced a bril- liant new circle of avant-garde designers, among them Aldo Cipullo, Jean Dinh Van, Roger Lucas, Jean Mahie and Sotilis, whose work infused the house with a new spirit of boldness, freedom and allure. The result was the collection Astrological, Underwater and Geometric, launched on 3 October 1969: around 200 jewels of striking originality that captured the experimental energy and cosmopolitan glamour of the age. Produced in very limited numbers, the design was conceived as a jewel of striking versatility, intended to be worn either as a necklace or as a belt. Crafted in sterling silver with an 18-karat yellow gold vermeil finish, it is composed of twenty irregularly shaped textured discs divided by elongated nug- get-form beads, while the reverse is left entirely smooth so that it sits comfortably against the body. The model acquired lasting cultural resonance through its association with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who owned and wore an example around 1970 and was famously photo- graphed wearing it in Capri in 1969, an image that helped fix the design in the public imagination as an emblem of relaxed glamour and cosmopolitan style. A similar version was also owned by Elizabeth Taylor, further confirming its place within the glamorous world of twenti- eth-century taste. Its desirability has also been borne out at auction, with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s example selling at Sotheby’s in 1996 for $27,600 and Elizabeth Taylor’s realis- ing $52,500 at Christie’s in 2011. Today, it remains one of the most distinctive and sought-after creations to emerge from Cartier’s innovative late-1960s collaborations. 121 CARTIER, DESIGNED BY LISA SOTILIS: A SILVER GILT ‘PÉPITE’ BELT/NECKLACE, CIRCA 1965-70 Composed of graduated circular links of textured nugget form, connected by similarly textured links, signed Cartier and Sterling, length 81.5cm € 7,000 - 8,000