Barbara Walters’ Jewelry:

Harry Winston: A diamond ring

After splitting with her second husband, Barbara Walters met Merv Adelson on a blind date. “Wham! I thought, at last this is it,” she recalled in her autobiography, Audition. Merv, a real estate developer and television producer, “seemed bigger than life…and he lived as if there were no tomorrow”.

For their engagement, Merv gifted her this showstopping 13.84 carat diamond ring by Harry Winston. Dubbed both the ‘King of Diamonds’ and ‘Jeweler to the Stars,’ Winston was the New York jeweler of choice for high-profile moguls and movie stars, including Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and Katharine Hepburn.

The couple went on to marry – and divorce – twice between 1981 and 1992. Looking back in her autobiography, Barbara wrote, “There were no arguments, no bad scenes. To draw from T.S. Eliot, our marriage ended ‘not with a bang but a whimper,’” noting that in the decade since their divorce, “today we are friends.”

JAR: Three pairs of diamond and gemset earrings

The renowned jewelry designer Joel Arthur Rosenthal, better known as JAR, has been called the ‘Fabergé of our time’ for his exquisite craftsmanship. Highly discerning, he creates one-off pieces specially for his hand-picked customers. Barbara owned not one, but three, bespoke earrings by the designer.

The earrings that JAR designed for Barbara are a riot of colors from their vibrant gemstones – including diamonds, peridots, garnets, tourmalines and sapphires – intensely rich and sometimes in deliberately clashing combinations. The paisley design earrings were one of her personal favorites.

“Barbara Walters had everything one wants from a jewelry collection,” says Jean Ghika, Bonhams Global Head of Jewelry. “Her jewels of choice were big, bold, and audacious, which suited her personality. She wasn’t afraid to mix costume pieces with real gemstones – it wasn’t about value but the style and look, reminiscent of Coco Chanel’s ethos. Jewelry made her feel dressed.”

Ruby and diamond floral brooch

Barbara is best remembered wearing this distinctive brooch, with invisible set square-cut rubies and round brilliant-cut diamonds, at the eighth Night of Stars fashion festival in New York in 1991, where she was photographed alongside actress Audrey Hepburn.

Harry Winston: 18k White Gold and Diamond Pendant Necklace

Another personal piece of jewelry in Barbara’s collection is this pavé-set diamond monogram necklace hand-crafted for her by Harry Winston, with the letters ‘BW’, suspended from a cable-link chain.

“Jewelry formed part of her identity,” explains Ghika. “And Barbara clearly had a genuine love for jewelry and wore it both privately and in her professional capacity, where she used the language of jewelry as a signifier.”

Belle Époque diamond bow brooch

Last, but certainly not least, Barbara wore this approximately 11.00 carat Belle Époque diamond bow brooch to numerous events, including Sir Elton John’s 60th birthday party in 2007.

In addition to her exceptional jewelry, Barbara owned gowns by Oscar de la Renta and handbags by Hermès and Chanel.

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