Archive
Laykin history, Old Hollywood, and the records of nine decades. Original documents, archive photographs, and the stories behind the pieces.
Archive · Hollywood
A Diamond of Old Hollywood
25.74 carats, cushion cut. From the estate of Mrs. Louis B. Mayer, first wife of the MGM studio chief — acquired by Laykin et Cie and recorded in the original archive with characteristic plainness: “off color but very clean.”
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Archive · Hollywood
The Marion Davies Collection
Jewels from the estate of Marion Davies — star of silent cinema and companion of William Randolph Hearst. A Cartier diamond bracelet, approximately 22 carats, among a significant group acquired by Laykin et Cie and presented to collectors across the country in the 1960s and ‘70s.
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Archive · Hollywood
The Loose Stone Exhibition
Four of the world’s most famous gems from the Marion Davies collection, presented by Laykin et Cie at I. Magnin on Wilshire — sketched at actual size. Among them: a 61.92-carat faceted Kashmir sapphire, among the largest documented in private hands, assembled by William Randolph Hearst.
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