Wealth and standing alone could not have propelled Belle (Isabel) Wilcox Baruch to the heights she achieved as a sportswoman and philanthropist. She also had that ambition and drive that was inherited from her father, Bernard M. Baruch, who was one of this country's most influential men in both finance and politics. For over four decades he was a Wall Street financier and an advisor on economic matters to Presidents from Woodrow Wilson to John F. Kennedy. Every winter he went to his country retreat, Hobcaw Barony in South Carolina where he entertained his prestigious guests. His daughter, Belle, was often in attendance.

Belle Baruch was born on August 16, 1899 in New York City to Bernard and Anne Griffen Baruch. As a teenager, she won many awards for sailing and was the first woman to win the Queen of the Bay Cup on Great South Bay. Motor cars also held her fancy; as a young woman in her twenties, she toured Europe, keeping a diary of her destinations, mileage and hotels. But, her great passion was horses. While living in France, she maintained a stable at Pau. She eventually became one of the foremost equestrians of the time, winning more than 300 prizes in competitions, including the Prix de la Coupe de President, the only woman and the only American to win. She accomplished this feat with her Anglo-Arab horse, Souriant III.

After conquering the seas and the land, Belle turned her attention to flying. She began taking lessons at the age of forty and acquired two airplanes, a Stenson and a Beechcraft. As a capable aviatrix, she quite often was the trusted pilot for trips taken by her father and also by Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, the wife of President Woodrow Wilson. With the latter, she enjoyed a close friendship and, after the President's death, Belle accompanied her on trips to Europe. In 1959, she donated a room at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the New York University-Bellevue Medical Center in Mrs. Wilson's honor.

When she was not living abroad, Belle maintained a home at 3 East 71st Street, a few blocks from her father's home at 4 East 66th Street. She enjoyed an active life in the society circles in New York City, friendly with prominent figures such as Mrs. John Jacob Astor. At these events, she wore fashionable jewelry, much of which she had inherited from her mother after her untimely death in 1938.

Her sporting activities notwithstanding, Belle Baruch is perhaps best remembered for her philanthropy, devoting much of her time to the rehabilitation of the disabled and the blind. She was not content to just give financial assistance but also visited the institutions in which she was interested. In the words of her grieving father following her death in 1964, "She was a doer and not just a talker."

Christie’s was honored to present a selection of jewelry formerly from the Collection of Belle Wilcox Baruch and her Mother Mrs. Bernard Baruch in October 2020 and is proud to offer once more jewelry formerly from this collection (Lots 169-171) that represents the spirit of this dynamic family.