Time for another foray into the catalogue of an upcoming jewelry sale in Geneva. This time we’re headed back to Phillips, who are selling a convertible Boucheron tiara that should look very familiar to all of you here!
In the lot notes for the upcoming sale of the piece, Phillips describes the necklace as “of laurel leaf design, set with cushion-shaped, circular- and rose-cut diamonds, highlighted with button-shaped natural pearls measuring from approximately 3.25 mm to 5.05 mm.” The piece, made by Boucheron, dates to 1891.
The necklace is a particularly versatile jewel. It can be taken apart, with the two resulting sections worn as a pair of almost-matching bracelets.
Those two sections can also be mounted on a frame so that it can be worn as a bandeau-style tiara. Phillips clarifies that the tiara conversion was made at a later date, calling the accompanying frame “a later tiara fitting.”
Those who are interested in the Swedish royal jewelry collection have already undoubtedly clocked the resemblance between the diamond and pearl necklace and a very similar all-diamond piece owned by the Bernadottes. The Swedish royal version, also made by Boucheron, was given to Princess Margaret of Connaught by her new husband’s grandmother, Queen Sofia of Sweden, as a wedding present in 1905.
Her version, shown in its necklace setting above, also features a pear-shaped diamond drop. (She’s also wearing another important wedding present, the Connaught Diamond Tiara.) On her death in 1920, the necklace was inherited by her third son, Prince Bertil.
Margaret’s necklace also takes advantage of the style’s convertibility. The Swedes own a different tiara frame style for their laurel wreath necklace, which features the two sections stacked in a kokoshnik-style arrangement. Prince Bertil’s wife, Princess Lilian, wears the jewel in its tiara setting here for a birthday gala for his father, King Gustaf VI Adolf, in the autumn of 1972.
Lilian wore the tiara regularly for the rest of her life. When she passed away, the jewel was inherited by her great-niece, Crown Princess Victoria. She made one of her first appearances in the tiara at the wedding of her sister, Princess Madeleine, in June 2013.
Victoria continues to wear the tiara regularly today. She most recently wore it just a few weeks ago, when the Swedish royals welcomed the President of Singapore to Stockholm for a state visit.
If you have deep pockets, and you’ve long admired the Swedish laurel wreath tiara, you now have the opportunity to own your own version. Phillips shows off the different ways that the jewel can be worn in the auction catalogue. Here’s a look at the way that the bandeau-style tiara frame sits on the wearer’s head.
And here’s a look at the impressive size of the two diamond and pearl bracelets, worn by the model stacked together on one wrist.
Interestingly, Phillips does not reference the similar royal tiara/necklace in the lot notes for the diamond and pearl version. Perhaps they’re not looking for the famous “royal bump” in price? The estimate for the piece, which will be sold on Monday, is set at 70,000-100,000 Swiss francs, or about $85,000-122,000 USD.
I’ve got more Scandinavian jewelry news (and more on another soon-to-be-sold antique tiara!) coming up in just a few hours when the free Wednesday edition of Hidden Gems hits your inboxes. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
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