Kluge's Magnificent Jewels

Patricia Kluge, probably before her $15 billion divorce settlement from John in the early 1990s.

Formerly fabulous Patricia Kluge didn't just lose her home and real estate this past year, she also lost a lot of beautiful jewels. Prior to her foreclosure issues, she claimed the sale was to "clean closet" of her home in Albemarle ('unloading', you could say to 'concentrate' on her wine business). We know the true reason for this sale now. Regardless, the Sotheby's auction of her jewels was just like the sale of her furniture - fantastic stuff sold at super-inflated prices!

Again, as it was written in Luxist: "Ms. Kluge, who is remarried, is now pursuing a life as a winemaker and decided it was time to change her lifestyle. As such, she felt it was time to part with both Albemarle, the enormous estate in Virginia she called home and the incredible collection of world-class jewels given to her by her ex-husband."

Change her lifestyle indeed! ha!!!

Enjoy the following images of her auctioned property:


Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire “Panthère” Wristwatch, Cartier, French, circa 1985.
EST $100,000-150,000
SOLD at $686,500 (including buyer's premium)



Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond Ring
A rectangular mixed-cut diamond of fancy intense yellow color weighing 27.80 carats, flanked by triangular-shaped diamonds weighing 3.50 carats, mounted in platinum and gold, size 7.
EST $400,000-600,000
SOLD at $602,500 (including buyer's premium)



(seen in the top photo)
Platinum and Diamond Pendant Ear clips
Pear-shaped diamonds weighing 13.16, 11.83, 9.33 and 8.74 carats, set in the center with a cluster of smaller pear-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 20.85 carats.
EST $600,000 to $800,000
SOLD at $1,058,500 (including buyers premium)



18k white gold, diamond and sapphire necklace; platinum, diamond and sapphire ear clips (NOT the ring, however)

Necklace: cushion-shaped sapphires weighing approximately 52.00 carats, round and marquise-shaped diamonds weighing a total of approximately 60.50 carats, length 16½ inches.
EST $100,000 to $150,000
Sold at $158,500 (including buyer's premium)

Ear clips: pear-shaped sapphires weighing approximately 21.75 carats, round sapphires weighing approximately 8.35 carats, and round and oval diamonds weighing approximately 12.00 carats, pendants detachable.
EST $75,000 to $100,000
Sold at $116,500 (including buyer's premium)


Patricia Kluge in a more recent photo:


Read more at the Palm Beach Daily News. And at New York Social Diary.
Photos are property of Sotheby's except where noted.

An Auction, not Bonfire, of Vanities

I promised my readers last week that I would tell y’all the tragic tale of the former ‘Queen of Albemarle’ wineries. Ms. Patricia Kluge, ex-wife of the late philanthropist John Kluge (died Sept 2010 at age 95 and most famous for founding Metromedia), has been in financial hot water for the past year+ (at least publicly)...

It all got questionable - to me - in July 2007 when she abruptly closed Fuel, Co. a gas station/bistro mix after being open for barely four years. It has all gone downhill since that first closing. Clearly Kluge and her latest husband have run her massive divorce settlement from John Kluge into the ground. This past summer, Kluge held an auction with Sotheby’s at her expansive home Albemarle House.

That sale grossed $15.2 million dollars. Since that time, Kluge has lost the expansive Albemarle House as well, expansive as it is 25,000+ square feet. Originally, Albemarle House was listed for sale at $100 million but has continually dropped in this economy. This does not include her Vineyard, the real estate development Vineyard Estates and additional assets in the area.

Kluge has creditors up in arms here, owing money to Farm Credit, Sonabank and Bank of America. Local businesses are owed tens of hundreds of thousands of dollars - can you imagine having those massive amounts owed on your books during tax season? What a nightmare - this includes construction companies for renovations as well as almost $3,000 owed to a local pool maintenance company. Such a sad thing. What is even worse is that while they haven't missed a single payment of the $1.2 million gift to the local community college Piedmont Virginia Community College --- they have only made five payments while five still remain on the Kluge-Moses Science Building (which has already been completed, opened even, for over a year now).

As you marvel at this large estate, understand that it isn't a real estate. The Kluge's built it in 1985.

Please enjoy a photo tour....

"King George III Serpentine Walnut Cabinet"


"King George III Serpentine Dressing Comode"


"the average wall lights"



"Living Room (in the English style)"



"Drawing/Music Room"


"the average wall clock at Albemarle House (Qing dynasty Guangzhou Imperial Clock)"


"Dining Room table"


"Dining Room"


"The Hallway"


"Back porch"



"The Rose Terrace"

Most information I knew first-hand, but some statistics may have come from The Hook story called “Reversal of Fortune” by Lisa Provence. She clearly did her job of covering all of the bases on this story – you go, shug! Most photos are of public domain, but some are from The Hook and Sotheby's.

Wait.. what?

Wait, so am I related to Tinsley Mercer Mortimer???!?!? Doesn't her Dad sell carpets here in VA or something like that?

Then the knives really come out: "Tinsley talks all the time about being related to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. I'm sure 18 million Americans are related to them," Devorah said. "Some live in trailer parks and some live on Park Avenue. I never run around saying that my Uncle Nelson was one of the top executives at the third-largest oil producer in the world. Or that when my grandmother died, the sitting president of Venezuela went to her funeral. I've never used that, and I've never played that up. She created this socialite persona.



Good ol' TJ

Seriously, if that was true, it would crack me up to no end. Especially since, even though Devorah "Rose" is clearly a unique individual and a Tinsley frenemy, she has a point. There are a lot of us old VA bluebloods who are "related" to TJ and the Madisons, the point is to what extent that person is truly related. For example, I am part of the DAR for my Dolley Payne side, which has to provide documentation. I am related to TJ through one of his nieces, America Delaware Jefferson (born 1834) of Pittsylvania Cnty, through my great-grandmother, whose maiden name was Jefferson. She married James Fontaine Minter.



From the New York Post article by Annie Karni
Last Updated: 9:33 AM, March 3, 2010 // Posted: 4:34 AM, February 28, 2010
http://www.nypost.com/f/print/news/local/manhattan/menaces_to_fBNqP0TdcVg8O5acibXQ6K

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

GrooGrux King was a nickname of Dave Matthews Band saxaphonist, LeRoi Moore, who died in 2008. This spontaneous dance party of CANADIAN fans, cracks me up to no end:




My Favorite 3 Dave Matthews Band videos:

Save Me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoWNaEHGgys

2nd fave: The Space Between: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvzWRzTh7jg

Lastly: American Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dwja0jnkjg

Property of Dave Matthews Band, The Warehouse, Sony/BMG records, and DMBANDTV
[http://www.youtube.com/user/dmbandtv]