Photo generously shared with us by Jeanne; do not reproduce |
Sotheby’s |
Sotheby’s |
Christie’s |
Grand Ladies Site |
Christie’s |
Photo generously shared with us by Jeanne; do not reproduce |
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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World
Photo generously shared with us by Jeanne; do not reproduce |
Sotheby’s |
Sotheby’s |
Christie’s |
Grand Ladies Site |
Christie’s |
Photo generously shared with us by Jeanne; do not reproduce |
Christie’s |
On Friday, a very royal auction was held at Christie’s in London. Furniture, artwork, and other treasures from the collections of the Gloucester and Harewood families were sold, including several objects that I thought would be of interest to readers here at The Court Jeweller. Here’s a little peek inside the sale.
Christie’s |
The auction didn’t include any of the kinds of jewels we usually cover here, but there were several badges, medals, and other similar items. Numerous coronation medals and miniatures were included in the auction, as was this medal from Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887. You’ll note that the bow also features a special gold bar marked with 1897, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee a decade later. The medal belonged to a lady (identity either not known or revealed), and it later became part of the collection of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the father of the present Duke. The piece sold for £2000.
Christie’s |
Numerous stars and badges from orders of chivalry were also sold. The insignia from the Gloucester collection were auctioned with a special caveat: they were being sold “in aid of the International Red Cross.” This is the star and badge of the Order of Mohammed Ali, which was founded by Sultan Hussein Kamel of Egypt in 1915. The order was awarded until Egypt became a republic in 1953. The lot notes state that the order was given to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1948. The insignia greatly exceeded auction estimates, selling for £16,250.
Christie’s |
This striking badge and star belong to the Order of Al-Kamal, an Egyptian order awarded exclusively to women. The insignia, made of silver-gilt and enamel, were presented to Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, by King Farouk of Egypt when the Duke of Gloucester was promoted to the rank of general in the British Army. (That happened in October 1944.) This lot again greatly exceeded its estimate, selling for £15,000.
Christie’s |
King Faisal of Iraq presented this star and badge to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester when he invested him with the Order of the Two Rivers in 1933. The occasion was King Faisal’s state visit to Britain, which took place that June, shortly before he died of a heart attack. This lot sold for £3,750.
Christie’s |
This grand set of insignia, which includes a collar, badge, and star, belongs to the Order of the Supreme Sun, which was awarded by the former Kingdom of Afghanistan. The order was discontinued when the country became a republic in 1973. The lot notes do not clarify when the order was presented or which member of the Gloucester family received it. (Prominent state visits of Kings of Afghanistan to Britain took place in March 1928 and December 1971.) The lot fetched the top end of its estimate, selling for £5,000.
Christie’s |
The sale included two sets of insignia of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta of Nepal. They were presented to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, probably during King Mahendra’s October 1960 state visit to London. Henry’s insignia sold for £1,375, while Alice’s fetched £875.
Christie’s |
The badge and star of the French Legion of Honour were presented to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester at some point before the French state visit to Britain in 1939. (During that visit, President Lebrun presented the order to the Duke of Kent, and British papers noted that the Duke of Gloucester already had it.) The enamel on the star is damaged, but the lot still doubled its estimate, selling for £1,625.
Christie’s |
This lot includes four pieces of insignia — star, badge, dress miniature, and lapel stud — from the Italian Order of Merit. The lot notes indicate that Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester received the insignia when he was invested as a member of the order on May 9, 1958, during President Gronchi’s state visit to London. The lot sold for a mere £625.
Christie’s |
The lot notes for this star and badge, from the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, state that Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester likely received the order during President Heuss’s state visit to London in October 1958. The lot sold for £875, slightly more than its estimate.
Christie’s |
The Gloucester collection also offered two sets of insignia from the Ethiopian Empire. The lot notes list this star and badge as part of the “Order of Exile of King Soloman,” but other sources online indicate that insignia of this design belong to the Order of the Queen of Sheba. That order was originally established as an order awarded to women, but it was later also awarded to men. The insignia in this lot sold for £375, less than the auction estimate.
Christie’s |
The other Ethiopian order included in the sale was the Order of Solomon’s Seal, the star and badge of which was bundled in a lot with a rare example of the Coronation Medal of Haile Selassie. (Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was the official British representative to the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen in November 1930.) The order was often bestowed on foreign princes like the Duke, who made multiple official visits to Ethiopia. The lot also sold for £375.
Christie’s |
One more order badge was included in the sale, this time from the Harewood family. This badge of the Greek Order of the Redeemer dates to 1838 (during the reign of King Otto), when it was awarded to the 1st Earl Canning. From him, it descended through the family to the 6th Earl of Harewood (husband of Princess Mary). The badge far exceeded its auction estimate, selling for £7,500.
Christie’s |
Order badges, stars, and medals weren’t the only glittering objects sold in the auction. These silver-gilt and enamel pill boxes, made in Paris around 1950, were given by King Farouk of Egypt to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. (The Duke visited Egypt numerous times during Farouk’s reign.) The boxes absolutely smashed their auction estimate, selling for a whopping £12,500.
Christie’s |
These Staffordshire enamel boxes, which date to the 18th century, were part of the Harewood collection. The lot notes explain that they were probably given by King George V and Queen Mary to their daughter, Princess Mary, to mark the christening of her first son, George. One box has a paper label indicating that they were given by “Papa and Mama” at Goldsborough on March 25, 1923 — the day of the baby’s christening. The boxes sold at auction for less than their estimate, fetching £1,875.
Christie’s |
One of the most magnificent objects auctioned was this fantastic jeweled enamel snuff box, made by Sebastian Garrard in London in 1911. The box was made to commemorate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, and it features miniature portraits of them on ivory set into the top of the box. The lot notes speculate that the royal couple gave the box to Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester as a coronation gift. (They also note that the Royal Collection has a similar snuff box.) The magnificent box fetched £47,500.
Christie’s |
I’ll wrap up this look into the auction with one of my favorite items from the sale: this lovely pair of turned Brazilian amethyst spheres. These don’t have a lengthy royal history; they were purchased by the present Duke of Gloucester in 2006 at another auction at Christie’s. He did well for himself — he purchased the spheres for £840 in 2006 and sold them last week for £1,250.
Sotheby’s |
It’s been a banner year for major royal jewelry auctions, with several important pieces coming up for sale especially in recent months. The excitement continues in December with the sale of a collection of jewelry that belonged to a Romanov: Princess Natalia Paley.
Sotheby’s |
Princess Natalia was the daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, who was in turn an uncle of Emperor Nicholas II. Her mother was Grand Duke Paul’s second wife, Olga Karnovich; their marriage was morganatic, but in 1915, Olga was granted the title of Princess Paley by Nicholas II. The title also extended to Natalia, as well as her brother, Prince Vladimir, and her sister, Princess Irina. From Grand Duke Paul’s first marriage, Natalia also had more half-siblings: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (the Younger) and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich.
Both Grand Duke Paul and Prince Vladimir died during the Russian Revolution, but Natalia escaped, settling in France with her mother and sister. She became a fashion model and married twice: first to French designer Lucien Lelong, and then to American theater director John C. Wilson. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1941, and she lived in New York until her death four decades later. A collection of Natalia’s jewelry was inherited by Wilson’s niece, Barbara Macauley. Another group of jewels from that collection was sold in 2009, shortly before Macauley’s death, and now another large selection of pieces is being offered for sale.
Sotheby’s |
Natalia’s social circle included a wide range of creatives, including several jewelry designers. These relationships enriched her impressive twentieth-century jewelry collection, and several of these pieces are being auctioned by Sotheby’s in a pair of sales on December 9-10.
The December 9 auction includes two lots of jewelry that belonged to Natalia. The first is this gold, diamond, and zircon ring was made by one of Natalia’s friends, the designer (and Italian aristocrat) Fulco di Verdura. He worked for Chanel until 1934, when he and Natalia traveled together to the United States. There, he established his own firm, Verdura, in 1939.
Sotheby’s |
The ring, which Sotheby’s describes as “a band of channel-set zircon baguettes, flanked by bezel-set single-cut diamonds, extending to a border of fluted gold” was made in 1947. The auction house expects it to sell for between $5,000-7,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
The December 9 auction also includes this unusual suite of gold, diamond, and enamel jewels, made in France in the 1880s. The set includes a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a brooch.
Sotheby’s |
The gold bracelet is set with “three rose-cut diamonds, within a geometric pattern applied with black enamel lines and latticework,” as are the matching brooch and earrings, which also feature suspended rose-cut diamonds. Sotheby’s expects the suite to fetch between $3,000-5,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
On December 10, a large number of Natalia’s jewels will be offered for sale. The first lot is this incredibly unique silver and moonstone necklace, made by the socialite Millicent Rogers. An enthusiastic collector and champion of Southwestern art and design, Rogers also made pieces of Southwestern-inspired jewelry. Sotheby’s believes that this necklace was probably a personal gift from Rogers to Natalia.
Sotheby’s |
The necklace, described as “a large hammered silver plaque suspending a fringe of smaller silver plaques bezel-set with cabochon moonstones, on a hammered silver chain,” is expected to bring between $2,000-3,000 USD at auction.
Sotheby’s |
Another of Natalia’s favorite jewelry purveyors was Cartier, and several pieces from the firm are included in the sale. This gold, diamond, and emerald bracelet is made with a buckle design. It dates to around 1940.
Sotheby’s |
Sotheby’s explains that the bracelet is “composed of coiled gold links, the terminals set with a square-cut cabochon emerald and a sugarloaf emerald, accented with old mine and single-cut diamonds.” They expect the piece to bring a whopping $50,000-75,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
One of the most captivating pieces in the entire sale is this charming citrine and peridot chestnut brooch. The piece is unsigned, but Sotheby’s writes that it was made by René Boivin. (You might remember the Boivin name from one of our book club selections, Diving for Starfish.)
Sotheby’s |
No creation date for the brooch is offered; instead, Sotheby’s simply describes it as “a stylized chestnut, pavé-set with round and oval-shaped peridots, opening on calibré-cut citrines.” The firm was best known for producing whimsical brooches in the ’30s and ’40s, when Boivin’s widow, Jeanne, was at the helm, employing talented jewelers like Suzanne Belperron and Juliette Moutarde. Sotheby’s expects the chestnut brooch to fetch between $7,500-10,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
This fantastic nineteenth-century tarra is another highlight of the collection. The ornament, which was meant to be worn on a turban, was made using seed pearls, enamel, emeralds, diamonds, and other pale gems.
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Here’s another interesting view of the ornament, which Sotheby’s describes as “a gold and silver bird topped with a flower, applied with polychrome enamel, and set with antique rose and table-cut diamonds and other near colorless gemstones, the eyes set with cabochon emeralds, suspending a seed pearl tassel terminating in emerald beads.”
Sotheby’s |
Just before her marriage to John Wilson in 1937, Natalia wore the turra as a brooch in an engagement portrait. Sotheby’s has shown the ornament in the same way on their model as a helpful reference. They expect the piece to bring between $3,000-5,000 USD.
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The December 10 auction also includes several more pieces by Verdura, including this striking gold, aquamarine, and emerald brooch. It was made around 1940, in the early days of Verdura’s firm.
Sotheby’s |
This image gives you a better understanding of the size of the clip brooch, which is described as “a cluster of aquamarine and emerald cabochons mounted behind a stylized basket of gold ropework.” Sotheby’s estimates that it will sell for between $15,000-20,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
Verdura also made these fantastic dogwood-inspired jewels for Natalia in 1943. The brooch and matching earrings are set with pink tourmalines and yellow sapphires.
Sotheby’s |
The lot notes describe the set as a “clip-brooch of floral design, set with pink tourmaline cabochon petals, and with variously-cut yellow sapphires at the center, and decorative gold work, together with a pair of matching earclips.” The auction estimate for the set is between $20,000-30,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
When Fulco di Verdura worked for Chanel, a cuff bracelet set with Maltese crosses became one of the signature items from their collaboration. Natalia owned two Verdura Maltese cross brooches, including this diamond and emerald example.
Sotheby’s |
Made in 1966, this clip brooch is “a stylized Maltese cross, pavé-set with round diamonds, the center embellished with emerald cabochons.” It’s expected to bring between $20,000-30,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
The second Verdura Maltese cross brooch is this piece, which Sotheby’s describes as “highly stylized.” Although it has a distinct mid-century modern flair, it was made a bit earlier, around 1940.
Sotheby’s |
The brooch is described as “composed of polished gold, the center with woven platinum bands pavé-set with round and single-cut diamonds.” The center bands share a bit of a resemblance with a pound sign or even a hashtag, making this perhaps a perfect piece for an ultra-glamorous Twitter user. Sotheby’s thinks this one will sell for between $7,500-10,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
Two magnificent rings from Natalia’s collection are also included in the sale. The first is this stunning diamond ring from Verdura, made in the 1940s.
Sotheby’s |
The 6-carat marquise diamond (graded G color and VVS2 clarity by the GIA) is “shouldered by round diamonds.” It’s expected to fetch between $80,000-120,000 USD.
Sotheby’s |
The other ring is this mesmerizing sapphire and diamond bauble from Cartier. The emerald-cut Ceylon sapphire weighs in at a whopping 15.92 carats.
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The lot notes explain that the sapphire is “flanked by two bullet-shaped diamonds.” It’s estimated to sell for between $60,000-80,000 USD.
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The final lot from the collection is probably my favorite: a classic double clip brooch from Cartier, set with diamonds and sapphires. The piece was made in the 1930s, when the fashion for clip brooches was reaching its heights.
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Sotheby’s explains that the brooch is “set with old European, single-cut and baguette diamonds” and “embellished with emerald-cut, calibré-cut and baguette sapphires.” Its auction estimate is set at between $12,000-15,000 USD.