You can dig around in your basement and at flea markets for an “Antiques Road Show” find all you like. But you won’t come up with anything like the few jazzy items owned by the late Consuelo Vanderbilt Earl. “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt’s great great granddaughter died two years ago at the age of 107. Yesterday Doyle’s auctioned off a few of her trinkets and came up with $1.5 million.
Among the items: A Cartier “Mystery” clock that fetched $515,000. Description: “8 day mechanical movement, the rectangular rock crystal case with rounded pediment outlined in gold bead decoration, enclosing a white enamel chapter ring with gold Roman numerals spaced by gold florets, the inner rim set continuously with rose-cut diamonds, with rose-cut diamond-set hands, set within a white enamel frame applied with a gold laurel leaf motif, edged completely 
with fine gold decoration, the reverse with similar motif, all surmounted on a rectangular black onyx base with molded edges, case signed Cartier. N.Y.”
A second Cartier clock, made of gold, diamonds and lapis: $220,000. An Art Deco bangle, also Cartier, made of rock crystal, diamonds, and platinum: $81,000. More affordable perhaps: Art Deco Black Enamel and Diamond Cigarette Lighter, Cartier, Paris–priced to sell at $34,375.
Consuelo was married four times, once to her cousin’s ex husband. She outlived the Commodore Hotel on Vanderbilt Avenue (now the Trump Grand Hyatt) over Grand Central. http://www.doylenewyork.com/content/more.asp?id=267
She would undoubtedly have been a Belieber.
