Chandelier from Leona Helmsley’s home for sale
A 350-pound 24-karat-gold crystal chandelier that once graced Leona Helmsley’s Paradise Valley home is up for grabs at My Sister’s Attic’s Chandler store. The price tag: $14,995. Made by Baccarat, the 5- by 3-foot chandelier has been appraised at $55,000, said Ann Siner, founder and owner of My Sister’s Attic.
It was purchased for $30,000 by a Valley restaurateur after Helmsley’s death, said Siner, whose company sells consignment home decor and furnishings.
A twin chandelier hangs in the Plaza Hotel New York City, she said.
Helmsley, a businesswoman known for her flamboyance who was dubbed the “Queen of Mean,” bought a 10-acre
Paradise Valley estate on Mummy Mountain in 1998.
She sold the11,000-square-foot home for $8 million in 2005 and died in 2007 at age 87.
The chandelier isn’t the typical consignment item. Nor is it the ideal accessory for most homes. One reason: It’s very sparkly. It’s a perfect conversation piece for that homeowner who is looking for a showy accessory, Siner said.
For another, it needs a large space. Helmsley apparently hung it in her master bathroom. (Imagine the size of that bathroom.)
It’s so large and heavy that My Sister’s Attic had to create a special display for it.
“We ended up not hanging it from the ceiling,” Siner said.
“We would have had to install special beams.”
The chandelier is on display at the Chandler store, 4955 S. Alma School Road, because it’s the largest of the four metro Phoenix locations, she said.