Ivory, sapphire and diamond brooch, Cartier, circa 1960

Designed as a carnation with carved ivory petals, set to the centre with a cushion-shaped sapphire, the stem set with circular-cut, cabochon and calibré-cut sapphires and further highlighted with circular- and single-cut diamonds, mounted in white gold, signed Cartier, Paris and numbered, French assay and maker's marks.

Potential bidders who intend to export this lot are advised that permits may be required for import in certain countries. If you are interested in this lot, please contact the Jewellery Department before bidding. Stamped with French assay marks for 18 carat gold. Scratched inventory number 01349. Sapphires medium vivid blue, the centre stone measuring approximately 7.3 x 6.1 x 4.2mm, calculated to weigh approximately 1.57 carats, the remaining stones well matched in colour. Two ivory petals damaged, the remaining in good condition. Diamonds bright and lively. Pin fitting secure.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones and to the Notice regarding import of Burmese jadeite and rubies into the US.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Oonagh Toffolo was raised on the West Coast of Ireland in the 1930s. Her father, a farmer, was an enlightened man of faith who taught her the importance of being lavish with love and hospitality. 'Love freely given connects with the life force in another.' It was perhaps not surprising therefore that, aged sixteen, she was called to enter an order of nuns who looked after the elderly poor. They trained her as a nurse and sent her to various parts of the world, including Calcutta, where she knew Mother Teresa. It was while in India she realised that young mothers and their children should be her first concern and, gaining special Papal dispensation  to leave the convent, she moved to London and retrained as a midwife in 1965.

 

After a period of new and exciting experiences and, by this time, working as a nurse in Paris, she was specially chosen to care for the Duke of Windsor during his final illness. She nursed him partly in hospital after an operation and then at the Windsor's home in the Bois de Boulogne. On her first morning, she joined the Duke and Duchess in their drawing room. The Duke was wearing a carnation in his button hole and the Duchess explained it was his favourite flower. Presenting Oonagh with this brooch, a miniature carnation of ivory, sapphires and diamonds, the Duchess explained the Duke had had it designed especially for her as a token of his love. 'Now we want you to have it as a token of our gratitude for coming home with us to care for him,' she said. Oonagh looked after the Duke until he died five weeks later but, for ever after, has treasured the brooch as a gift imbued with love and hospitality, from two people who loved each other very much.

 

Later, after marriage to the architect, Joseph Toffolo, and living in the Middle East, Oonagh discovered acupuncture and finalised her studies in China in 1979, one of the first foreigners to visit the country at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Since then she has written a memoir called The Voice of Silence (Random House). She has also lived and worked between Paris and London, having many well known clients, helping them heal both physically and spiritually. Throughout all, her focus has been love – the heart of life – something this brooch represents. Now is the time to pass it on to another, together with the sentiments – and the history – it carries with it.