Dalí's Surreal 'Swirling Sea Necklace' Makes Waves at Sotheby's Paris Sale

Salvador Dalí’s "Swirling Sea Necklace" — a surrealist masterpiece of wearable art — made a splash at Sotheby’s Paris on October 24, fetching €736,600 ($858,500), more than double its pre-sale estimate. The 18-karat gold creation, conceived by the artist in 1954 and executed in 1963 by New York jeweler Alemany & Co., exemplifies Dalí’s ability to blur the boundaries between fine art, design and craftsmanship.

Described as sculptural and sensuous, the Swirling Sea Necklace evokes the hypnotic rhythm of waves breaking on a golden shore. Flowing tassels of gold are interspersed with sapphire and emerald beads, pearls and diamonds — a composition that mimics the motion and shimmer of the sea itself. The piece culminates in a luminous baroque cultured pearl, nestled just below the wearer's Adam's apple like a cresting wave.

According to Sotheby’s catalog notes, the diamonds scattered throughout the design “act like precious shells dotting the beach,” while the interplay of color and texture reflects Dalí’s lifelong fascination with metamorphosis and natural form. The work is inscribed “Dalí” on the clasp, underscoring the artist’s personal involvement in its conception and design.

The Swirling Sea Necklace was created for Madame São Schlumberger, a celebrated art collector and muse, who commissioned multiple portraits from Dalí in the 1960s. Married to industrial heir Pierre Schlumberger, São shared the artist’s taste for the lavish and avant-garde. Her collaboration with Dalí produced one of the most extraordinary jewels of the 20th century — a testament to their shared love of opulence, imagination and the surreal.

This particular necklace, which remained in the Schlumberger family for decades, reemerged this season as part of The Schlumberger Collection at Sotheby’s Paris. The sale, led by Aurélie Vandevoorde, Head of Sotheby’s Jewelry Department in France, was a highlight of the auction house’s "Surrealism and Its Legacy" event — an exhibition that celebrated the enduring impact of surrealist art across mediums.

Dalí’s work in jewelry, though lesser-known than his paintings, represents an essential facet of his creative genius.

“My jewels are the medium for the expression of pure beauty,” the artist once said, describing his gem-studded creations as “miniature sculptures of desire.”

The Swirling Sea Necklace embodies that philosophy — both as a technical triumph of goldsmithing and a symbolic meditation on transformation and motion.

The piece’s remarkable auction result underscores a growing trend in the international jewelry market: the rising appreciation for artist-designed jewels that bridge the worlds of art and adornment. As collectors increasingly seek pieces that tell a story and bear a signature artistic vision, works like Dalí’s Swirling Sea Necklace sparkle with renewed significance.

Credits: Jewelry images courtesy of Sotheby's. Salvador Dalí image by Carl Van Vechten, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.