Bonhams to Auction Jewelry of Journalist Barbara Walters

Bonhams will hold a sale of items from the estate of famed media personality and journalist Barbara Walters, including a Harry Winston diamond ring it expects will fetch up to $900,000.

The piece — her engagement ring from husband Merv Adelson — contains an emerald-cut, 13.84-carat diamond flanked by trilliant-cut diamonds. It will lead the jewelry section of the November 6 New York sale, titled The Estate of Barbara Walters: An American Icon, the auction house said last week.

The sale will also have an online segment that will run from October 29 to November 7. In total, the two segments will feature more than 300 lots valued at around $8 million, spanning jewelry, art, fashion, handbags, décor and personal items.

Among the featured pieces of Walters’s jewelry is a pair of paisley-shaped earrings by designer JAR with diamond, sapphire, tourmaline and peridot. The set, created in France, has a presale price range of $180,000 to $250,000.

A bow-shaped Belle Époque brooch from 1910 with 11 carats of old-cut diamonds is expected to fetch between $15,000 and $20,000, while a ruby and diamond brooch carries an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. A diamond pendant necklace by Harry Winston with the monogram “BW” has an upper estimate of $7,000.

Bonhams will preview highlights from the collection in Boston, Los Angeles, Paris, London and Hong Kong.

Image: The Harry Winston 13.84-carat diamond engagement ring. (Bonhams)