Buying fame, fashion or fancy? Melba’s collection auctioned

The world’s most loved Opera singer’s collection comes up for auction, allowing devotees an affordable piece of history.
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A belle époque diamond and seed pearl hair pin by Cartier, c.1905 once worn by Dame Nellie Melba has been estimated at $6-9,000; courtesy Sotheby’s Australia.

The Collection of Dame Nellie Melba comes under the hammer next week (31 March). Coined as one of the most famous operatic singers of the late Victoria Era and early 20th century, she was also a great patron of the arts, supporting the makers of her time, in particular women artists.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina