In the last century, there was such a legendary woman who seemed to have everything (wealth, beauty, fame, jewels), but in reality, she had nothing. She was Barbara Hutton, known as the “Poor Little Rich Girl.”
01 How Rich Was She
How much wealth did Barbara Hutton have? It’s unimaginable for us ordinary people.
She was born with the aura of a super-rich multi-generational family, starting from her great-grandfather, her family began to do business and had a very substantial family fortune. Her grandfather Frank W. Woolworth founded the Woolworth retail chain in the early last century, which had 586 stores at that time.
Her father was one of the co-founders of E. F. Hutton, an investment bank in New York.
In 1913, her family built the world’s tallest building at the time, 241 meters high, on Broadway for a staggering 13.5 million US dollars. On the night of the building’s completion, it was President Hoover himself who personally pressed the button to light up the building’s lights in Washington, D.C.
She has a high-profile debut, but that’s not all. At the age of six, Barbara started her life of inheritance.
Her inheritance includes: $2.1 million left in the stock market by her biological mother before her death, and $26 million left to her by her grandmother. Later, her biological father invested this money and gave her $42 million nine years later (making her one of the richest women in the world). The above is just the cash part of the inheritance, excluding the $8 million real estate left by Barbara’s biological mother, the famous paintings and sculptures passed down in the family, and countless other legacies.
Barbara Hutton, who grew up with money, always went out in either a Rolls-Royce or a private plane.
Perhaps because money came too easily to her, she spent it like water. In her later years, she coined a classic quote: “Why walk when I can pay for someone else to do it for me.”
02 A Lifetime of Love Deprivation, A Lifetime of Love Seeking
I don’t ask for much, even if it’s just a poor but warm home. – Barbara· W· Hutton
In the eyes of many, Barbara Hutton, who possessed a huge fortune, was a favorite of heaven, but in reality, it was not the case. It should be known that in addition to the title of “billionaire baby,” she also had another name, “Poor Little Rich Girl (a poor wealthy woman).”
Her wealth comes from her family, and so does her poverty. This kind of “poverty” has been rooted in her heart since childhood and has influenced her entire life.
The root of this “poverty” dates back to her childhood. Due to her father’s promiscuity, her mother could not bear her father’s infidelity and chose to commit suicide when she was six years old. It was the young Barbara who discovered her mother’s body. After that, her father neglected her and abandoned her to various relatives, leaving her in the care of a nanny who could only meet her material needs.
During her childhood, living under the roof of others cultivated her introverted and self-deprecating personality. Despite possessing an exquisite beauty comparable to that of a movie star, she considered herself ugly and unworthy of love.
Barbara Hutton’s longing for a home and her need for love led her to desperately pursue love as an adult, willing to buy a home even with money. This also resulted in her always being in a vulnerable position when it came to love and marriage.
In her seven marriages, almost all of her seven husbands were of prominent status.
Her first husband was Georgian Prince Alexis Mdivani. The prince divorced his noble wife to marry her, and of course, his purpose was very clear, which was for money. In the first year of marriage, he spent millions of dollars of Barbara’s money, and this marriage only lasted for two years before ending abruptly.
Alexis Mdivani, a Georgian prince, was Babs’ second husband. During their marriage, she gave birth to her only child, Lance Reventlow.
Right: Danish Count Haugwitz Reventlow
However, this marriage was devastatingly harmful to her. The count not only squandered her property wantonly but also engaged in severe domestic violence, beating her to the point of hospitalization. Under the dual torment of mental and physical suffering, her condition deteriorated increasingly. During this period, she had to resort to medication to numb herself.
After ending her nightmarish marriage, she embarked on an endless path of redemption. The third Hollywood superstar and the fourth Russian prince both made efforts to help her overcome her addiction to alcohol and drugs, but they were ultimately unable to heal her wounds.
Cary Grant, a Hollywood superstar, was mentioned on the left.
Then she embarked on her fifth marriage, which was deceived by Porfirio, a professional playboy who wandered between various young ladies and noblewomen. They got married quickly and divorced just as fast, with their marriage lasting only 53 days. At the time of the divorce, Porfirio received a staggering alimony of 2.5 million dollars from Barbara (which was considered an astronomical amount at that time).
Porfirio Rubirosa
Five failed marriages did not stop her from seeking true love. In her sixth marriage, she married an old friend who had always been by her side, Gottfried Alexander. Gottfried helped her continue to fight against drug addiction and depression, but it was clear that he was still not Barbara’s true soulmate, and they eventually ended in divorce.
Barbara’s last husband, Pierre Raymond, left her two years after she bought him the title of “Prince.”
03 Jewelry is her redemption
Seven marriages and high alimony fees made her increasingly unable to understand the love in this world, so that Barbara Hutton, who has seen the ups and downs of the world, finally chose to be accompanied by those jewels that symbolize status. She believed that these material riches were the most loyal guardians.
Nature always consoles her wounded heart with luxurious jewels whenever she is hurt.
She is one of the few Western socialites known for her fondness for collecting Eastern jade. In 1933, she purchased a pair of vases from the Qianlong period, simply because she enjoyed the sound of the two pieces of jade clinking together.
Previously from the Collection of Barbara Hutton, a fine carved jadeite bangle was sold by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 1988 for HKD 40,000.
Barbara Hutton also had a legendary piece of jade jewelry, which was a gift from her father for her first marriage – a jade bead necklace named Mdivani from Cartier, priced at $55,000 at the time. The jade beads ranged from 15.3mm to 19.2mm in diameter, each of high quality with uniform color, clarity, and purity. The geometric clasp made of rubies and diamonds showcased the beauty of both Eastern and Western aesthetics.
To match the necklace gifted by her father, Barbara had a jade ring designed, which was embedded with rubies (upper left corner of the image below).
This old jade necklace was sold for 214 million Hong Kong dollars (about 27.44 million US dollars) at Christie’s auction house, setting a new world auction record for jade jewelry.
Barbara Hutton commissioned Cartier to make an emerald bead necklace in 1934.
The ruby clasp is a typical Art Deco style.
There is another remarkable emerald jewel that has accompanied her for a long time – the emerald crown of the Russian Romanov dynasty.
The convertible jewelry of crown and necklace comes from Cartier.
In addition to being passionate about emeralds, Barbara also has another fondness, which is diamonds. The diamond on her hand is named Pasha, which was the largest round-cut diamond on Earth at that time, a true “pigeon egg”. The original stone weighed 40 carats, but because Barbara did not like its shape, she ordered it to be recut and 2 grams were removed to create her preferred shape.
Barbara wore an emerald tiara designed by Cartier and a massive Pasha diamond ring.
Pasha Raw Stone
The ruby and diamond bracelet worn at the wedding ceremony was from Cartier.
At the end of her second marriage, she was particularly fond of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry. Her second husband, catering to her preferences, commissioned Van Cleef & Arpels to specially customize a platinum diamond bracelet for Barbara, which had a very strong artistic design and is still very fashionable and modern today (although Barbara paid for it herself).
▍Image source: Van Cleef & Arpels
When she divorced her third husband, in order to fill the void, she bought this diamond tiara composed of 22 bright and crystal pear-shaped diamonds. The three largest ones weigh 54.82 carats, 21.49 carats, and 21.62 carats respectively. It is said that when Barbara was unwell, she once invited Pierre Arpels (one of the founders of Van Cleef & Arpels) to visit her in the bedroom. At that time, she was lying in bed, resting against the pillow, still wearing this tiara.
Deception and harm have made her increasingly obsessed with jewelry. In addition to the emerald necklace of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great mentioned earlier, she has also acquired this luxurious Bulgari necklace set made of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.
04 The Timeless Muse of the Jewelry World
These beautiful pieces of jewelry have repeatedly healed her from her wounds, and she has also brought vitality to the jewelry. Her unique taste and aesthetic appreciation for jewelry have always been a legendary presence in the jewelry world.
Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels are not mentioned, as every piece of jewelry has her shadow.
Barbara Hutton and the Dragonfly Fairy Brooch
Jewelry from: Van Cleef & Arpels
Jewelry from Cartier
To this day, she remains the muse of countless designers. Lanvin once launched a jewelry collection called Barbara in honor of this jewelry enthusiast.
The debut of the Barbara series was on the runway of Lanvin’s Fall/Winter 2012 show.
05 She Shines Brighter Than Gems
Even with endless jewelry by her side, she still couldn’t resist the endless loneliness. Even in her later years, her only son, Lance, died in a plane crash, and the blow of losing a child in old age plunged her into despair.
She, without any relatives, in order to obtain some warmth, kept giving away expensive jewelry to others, thinking that this way she could gain attention and companionship. However, it turned out that emotions bought with money would eventually dissipate. She ultimately left this world alone…
At the time of her death, there was only 3,000 US dollars left in her account.
Her jewelry was later resold in large quantities, and many of them have already disappeared without a trace.
From beginning to end, she was just a woman who yearned for true love. However, her repeated failed marriages did not stop her from seeking true love and happiness, nor did the numerous setbacks and tribulations shatter her longing for a beautiful family.
Such a legendary life needs no further elaboration; her story is far more dazzling and brilliant than those jewels.
