BONHAMS OFFERS JEWELLERY BELONGING TO HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS LITA MILAN WHO STARRED WITH PAUL NEWMAN
Two pairs of exquisite earrings belonging to the actress, Lita Milan, who found fame starring opposite Paul Newman in The Left Handed Gun, will be offered by Bonhams in the forthcoming Art of Jewels: Fine Jewellery and Iconic Gems sale on December 9th at New Bond Street.
The Hollywood actress, star of twelve feature films and over forty television movies, modestly describes her hugely successful career as accidental. Born in Israel and educated in New York and France, Lita Milan’s training as a dancer led her to the Las Vegas stage, in her school holidays, to present and dance in one of Nat King Cole’s shows. On a trip to Los Angeles, Lita was signed by the legendry Paul Kohner, who also managed the careers of Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, which allowed Lita to move into Hollywood films.
Soon after her arrival in Hollywood she found success in The Violent Man, and was contracted to Columbia Studios. Leading roles soon followed and she starred opposite Steve McQueen in Never Love a Stranger , Anthony Quinn in The Ride Back and with the legendary Paul Newman in The Left Handed Gun.
In the early 1960s, Lita Milan abruptly abandoned her promising acting career to run off with Ramfis Trujillo, son of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. After Trujillo’s death in a car accident, she settled in Spain in order to raise her two children. She subsequently had a long relationship with one of Spain’s most famous bull fighters and today lives just outside Madrid.
Offered in the sale are a superb pair of sapphire and diamond pendent earrings by Cartier, circa 1960. Each half-moon shaped diamond has a spray of tapered baguette-cut diamonds, suspending a tassel of pear-shaped sapphires and marquise-cut diamonds are estimated at £15,000 – 20,000. Also belonging to Lita Milan, are a pair of diamond pendent earrings by the Madrid jewellers, Sanz, circa 1960. Again, the earrings have a spray design, set with baguette and brilliant cut diamonds, with a pear-shaped diamond drop. They are estimated to sell for £15,000 – 20,000.
Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 27 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com