High-end accessories are having a moment at Bonhams Paris with the upcoming sale of a one-off Birkin bag, and a recent jewelry auction with Cartier pieces that outstripped estimates by more than five times.
On Nov. 25, a one-of-a-kind Hermès Birkin 30 in black Togo leather, formerly owned by Jane Birkin, will be featured in the Bonhams Paris Fashion & Handbags sale.
The bag, from 2009, features Birkin’s handwritten inscription to a friend and her signature, making it a rare collectors’ item. The bag is being offered with an estimate of 40,000 euros to 70,000 euros.
The bag also comes with a story.
In April 2010, Birkin traveled to Athens to attend the 11th Francophone Film Festival and to promote her album “Jane Birkin au Palace.” During her visit, the Eyjafjöll volcano in southern Iceland erupted, causing extended flight cancellations that prevented Birkin from joining her daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, in the U.S.
Jane Birkin’s Hermès Birkin 30 in black Togo leather will go under the hammer at Bonhams later this month.
Instead, Birkin decided to visit her friend Georgia, in Athens, and gave her the bag. She hand-wrote a personal note in French and signed it with her signature white pen. Translated, it says, “Georgia, So that you may be safe, for us, your friends. Jane B (Birkin) Athens.”
Hubert Felbacq, director of the fashion and accessories department at Bonhams in Paris, said Birkin’s relationship with the eponymous bag “remains one of fashion’s most enduring stories. An English-French actress, singer and style icon, she transformed the bag into an emblem of effortless Parisian chic, embracing a personal, lived-in aesthetic that challenged traditional notions of luxury.”
He added that with direct provenance to Birkin herself, the one-of-a-kind piece “offers a tangible connection to the woman whose name and style shaped one of fashion’s most iconic designs. We are delighted to bring this rare and significant object to auction, offering collectors a unique opportunity to own a remarkable piece of fashion history.”
In 2021, Bonhams sold Birkin’s Black Togo Birkin 35, which was from 1999, for 119,000 pounds, five times its pre-sale estimate of 15,000 pounds to 20,000 pounds.
The Cartier rose ruby, emerald and diamond brooch, circa 1940, from the collection of Madame Paulette.
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Last week, it was Cartier that was making waves at Bonhams Paris. The house’s Fine Jewelry sale on Oct. 29 offered signed jewelry, colored gemstones and diamonds from Cartier, Chaumet, Lacloche Frères and Kat Florence.
The top lot was a Cartier sapphire and diamond ring, with an oval-cut royal blue sapphire of Madagascan origin, weighing 11.5 carats with no indications of treatment. It achieved 205,400 euros, five times its pre-sale estimate of 40,000 euros to 60,000 euros.
Another notable lot was a Cartier rose ruby, emerald and diamond brooch, circa 1940, from the collection of Madame Paulette, which achieved 83,800 euros, significantly exceeding its estimate of 15,000 euros to 20,000 euros.
Madame Paulette was the most influential milliner of her generation. Renowned for dressing royalty, society figures and film stars, including Greta Garbo and Princess Grace of Monaco, Paulette also created hats for leading couture houses.