Bonnie Bolding Swearingen, former Alabama beauty queen, actress, stockbroker and a flamboyant staple of society pages for decades, unapologetically lived her life to the beat of her own drum. From hunting at the LBJ ranch with close friends Lady Bird and Lyndon B. Johnson, to jetting off on a whim with Imelda Marcos to dine with King Hassan II of Morocco and the Shah of Iran, Bonnie’s life reads like that of an American princess.
Bonnie and her husband, John Swearingen, were fixtures on seemingly every major guest list for decades, including Ronald Reagan’s inauguration (she affectionately called him 'Ronnie') and a legendary Palm Desert dinner party in 1975 hosted by Walter Annenberg in honour of Richard Nixon (his first appearance since leaving office). Bonnie was also known for her incredible jewellery collection and was frequently photographed wearing the finest pieces. A memoriam in The Chicago Sun-Times noted that Bonnie was always “suntanned, smiling and sparkling with jewels".
On 5-6 December, New Orleans Auction Galleries will offer nearly 100 lots of fine jewellery from the Estate of Bonnie Bolding Swearingen, including an important 31-carat Harry Winston diamond ring, a stunning 28-carat sapphire and diamond ring, vintage pieces by David Webb, as well as many other unique jewelled creations. In addition to the collection of fine jewellery, Swearingen’s estate also includes paintings, antique furniture, carpets, decorative objects, handbags, couture and more.
Here are the highlights of the collection:
This platinum ring is mounted with a cushion-cut treated sapphire weighing approximately 28.00 carats, surrounded by marquise-cut diamonds weighing approximately 5.50 carats in total. The ring was designed to detach from the back of the mounting, to be worn as a pendant or a brooch. Bonnie Swearingen wore this ring greeting Nancy Reagan in the 1980s.
The trademark of Coco Chanel, this vintage Chanel couture plaid tweed suit dates to the 1970s. It is made of bold pink and moss green wool blend tweed plaid, and is lined and trimmed with pink crepe de chine, with a spread collar, five button closure, four faux-buttoned flap pockets and pierced gold CC chain buttons throughout.
In 18k yellow gold, this woven bag is highlighted with round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing approximately 3.32 carats in total, with a hinged flap and rope chain handle. Bonnie Swearingen carried the bag in the 1970s greeting Richard Nixon at a White House Dinner.
This David Webb convertible green fluorite and diamond necklace/brooch is set in 18k yellow gold/platinum, the gold with a hammered finish and mounted with carved fluorite. It was worn by Bonnie at a black tie event for the Standard Oil Beautification Committee, Chicago, 1970s, with her husband John Swearingen, her sister Margie Bolding, former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and his wife Eleanor 'Sis' Daley, and four other women.
Also by David Webb comes a emerald and diamond choker/bracelet, the bracelet of which was worn by Bonnie with President Gerald Ford at an unidentified black tie event in the 1970s.
This impressive Harry Winston diamond ring is set in platinum and mounted with an Asscher-cut diamond weighing 31.04 carats, with colour L and clarity SI2. This stunning ring was likely purchased in 1972 from renowned diamond jeweller Harry Winston by Thomas Powell Fowler Milbank, scion of the wealthy and socially prominent Milbank family of New York (he was the great-grandson of industrialist and philanthropist Jeremiah Milbank in 1972, at the time of his wedding to Loyce Stinson Hand Hawk Butler, of the famed and influential Stinson aviation family. Alas, Loyce and Thomas' marriage was not to prove a lasting one, and within several years the couple separated. Records from the Swearingen Estate reveal that Bonnie purchased the ring privately from Loyce in 1979.
This pair of Bulgari custom-made convertible diamond and pearl ear clips are made of platinum/14k white gold. The interchangeable earring bases are mounted with round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing approximately 9.10 carats in total with a pair of snap-in white South Sea pearls and a pair of snap-in Tahitian pearls.
In 1960, inspired by the sounds various types and lengths of metal rods made when gently manipulated, the Italian-born sculptor and metal worker Harry Bertoia began his series of 'tonal' or sound-producing sculptures. Ranging from minuscule to monumental, these Sonambient sculptures, as they soon became known, proved to be one of the artist's most enduring legacies. Experimenting with several metals, it was with the richly patinated beryllium copper that Bertoia found his preferred material, though he would frequently incorporate other metals to create a specific sound or resonance
In 1975, Bertoia designed the large, multi-structured installation at Standard Oil Building Plaza in Chicago – now known as Aon Center. The then Chairman and Chief Executive of Standard Oil was John Swearingen and the Building and its accompanying Plaza was due entirely to his vision and determination; he believed that Standard Oil's headquarters should reflect its reputation as a leading American corporation. At its completion in 1974, it dominated the Chicago skyline as the tallest building. A small-scale model of the Standard Oil Building, the sculpture here was gifted to him by the artist. It is composed of long, thin beryllium copper rods set vertically within a brass plate, all atop a wooden base. When in motion, the rods produce a distinctive sound.
In homage to the unforgettable socialite, the American Neo-Expressionist artist Hunt Slonem painted this oil portrait entitled For Bonnie in 2004.
These treasures and more from Bonnie's estate will head to auction on 5-6 December at New Orleans Auction Galleries.
