Don’t Miss the Latest from the ‘Estate-Sale Queen of Dallas’

One of the biggest allures of Dallas estate sales is exploring illustrious homes across the city, but we’re willing to forgo that particular voyeuristic pleasure for Janelle Stone’s latest event. Taking place this Friday and Saturday (June 21 and 22), the epic sale is a blend of (at least) six different family estates and features one of the best sterling collections Stone has seen in her storied career. Better yet, the sale takes place within a sprawling, 14,000-square-foot Design District showroom that allows plenty of shoppers inside at once (preventing the long outdoor queue lines Stone’s sales regularly attract). “It’s not cozy like a home, but it’s not crowded like a home either,” Stone tells us from her perch on a couple of Chippendale chairs she’s in the process of pricing. “We’ve been working on this sale for eight weeks. I think we have one of everything ever invented.” 

For the uninitiated, Janelle Stone is an estate sale legend in Dallas. Known for her keen attention to detail and elegant presentation, she has handled sales for some of the city’s wealthiest families, particularly those in the Park Cities. Stone was recently dubbed “The Estate-Sale Queen of Dallas” in a 2022 New Yorker article — a piece that delves into the frenzied, fantastic, and occasionally weird world Stone has occupied since she held her first Park Cities estate sale in 1983. “The stories I can tell… you can’t imagine,” Stone says. 

Janelle Stone sales have a loyal following, but it’s always nice to know what to expect if you plan to make the journey to the Design District (as always, an address isn’t disclosed until the Friday morning of the sale). As mentioned, the sterling silver collections are of particular note, with pieces by Tiffany & Co., Hester Bateman (a renowned English craftswoman of the 1700s), and many more notable silversmiths, along with a George III sterling silver epergne, and flatware sets by Reed & Barton, Dominick & Haff, and Buccellati. 

Additional treasures include two large engagement rings (3.25 and 5.03 carats each), Akoya pearls, and loads of fine and costume jewelry. You’ll find original oil paintings, sculptures by Hattakitkosol Somchai, Baccarat, Waterford, vintage copper cookware, and rare china sets. Kittinger, Baker, and Johnson Handley are just a few makers of this sale’s furnishings, which include mid-century modern chairs, antique painted sofas, French hand carved armoires, marble pedestals, and chandeliers in every shape and style. For covetable collectables, the estate sale includes a 1950s Murano shell sculpted by Zanetti Licio, ceramic Martaban jars, a delicate Herend clock, a signed photograph of Supreme Court Justices from the 1920s, and an antique Korean tansu chest.

“We’ve had a call begging for a certain piece of artwork, but we never presell,” Stone shares. The address will be released at 6 am on Friday, June 21 on janellestone.com. Expect a tailgate-like line to follow shortly after.