Mackay Emerald Necklace | Cartier | Important 167-Carat Mackay Emerald Sautoir wedding gift to Anna Case

Mackay Necklace is often remembered not only for the size of its emerald, but also for the romance behind it.

Clarence H. Mackay was deeply captivated by Anna Case after hearing her perform. Their relationship developed over many years before they were finally able to marry. A devoted Catholic, Mackay did not remarry during the lifetime of his first wife, even after the breakdown of that marriage. For nearly fifteen years, Clarence Mackay and Anna Case remained linked by affection, patience and restraint.

When they finally married in 1931, the Cartier emerald necklace became the visible symbol of that long courtship. The great Colombian emerald at its centre was therefore more than a display of wealth. It became a jewel of endurance, devotion and time.

Set with 2,191 diamonds and framed by 35 smaller emeralds, the Mackay Emerald Necklace transformed one exceptional gemstone into a monument of Art Deco design. The emerald’s deep green colour, its Colombian origin from Muzo and its monumental size gave the jewel a presence unlike almost any other necklace of its period, see in the picture above.

Anna Case Mackay

Anna Case was far more than the recipient of a magnificent jewel. She was an accomplished American soprano whose career at the Metropolitan Opera placed her among the notable performers of her generation. The portrait of Anna Case shown with the necklace recalls the woman for whom Cartier created one of the most celebrated emerald jewels of the twentieth century.

The Mackay Emerald Necklace unites several worlds: the mineral splendour of Colombia, the elegance of Cartier’s Art Deco design, the American Gilded Age fortune of Clarence Mackay, and the musical brilliance of Anna Case. She is pictured wearing the Mackay emerald sautoir above.

 

The Mackay Emerald in the Smithsonian

The necklace was later bequeathed by Mrs Anna Case Mackay to the Smithsonian in 1984, where it remains on display in the Gem Hall of the National Museum of Natural History. . Its central emerald, weighing 167.97 carats, remains the largest cut emerald in the collection. As a public museum jewel, it is no longer a private wedding gift, but a historic object through which visitors can experience one of the great emerald creations of modern jewellery history.

If the Mackay Necklace transformed the emerald into a symbol of love over time, other emerald jewels reveal something equally fascinating: the ability of gemstones to express identity, memory and dynastic meaning.

 

Mackay Emerald Necklace | Cartier | Important 167-Carat Mackay Emerald Sautoir wedding gift to Anna Case

 

 

 

Sources: New York Times, Sotheby's, Smithsonian

 

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Mackay Emerald Necklace | Cartier | Important 167-Carat Mackay Emerald Sautoir wedding gift to Anna Case

 

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