’70s Model Susy Dyson’s Jewels Head to Auction

By Annie Davidson Watson | July 11, 2023

Discovered at just 16 years old in the 1970s by Countess Aline of Romanones (an American-born socialite and Madrid-based CIA spy), Susy Dyson would go on to first grace the covers of both American and French Vogue, among other magazines. Once described as having “a perfect body” by photographer Helmut Newton, Dyson was a muse for Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Issey Miyake, and others, appearing in an advertisement for Lagerfeld’s Chloé perfume and starring in Fendi’s short fashion film Histoire d’Eau.

The Anglo-Peruvian model was everywhere you turned in the ’70s, circulating in society and celebrity circles, with actress Deborah Kerr, A&M Records chairman Gil Friesen, and Gunter Sachs, heir to the German Opel car estate, among her closest friends.

Dyson’s jet-set lifestyle is reflected in her glamorous personal jewelry collection, which will be offered as part of English auctioneer Dreweatts’ Fine Jewellery, Silver, Watches, and Objects of Vertu sale on July 12. The 25 Dyson pieces in the auction include multilayered gemstone bracelets and necklaces, vibrantly colored enamel designs, and plenty more. Below is a look at a few of the sale’s highlights.