Sotheby’s: Royal jewellery auction – Beau Sancy Diamond & Murat Tiara

Tags

Royal jewels

The Noble Jewels session on the 15th May is led by the sensational Beau Sancy diamond, a stone of supreme historical importance with an impeccable royal provenance stretching back to Marie de Medici; also featured is the Murat tiara commissioned by Prince Alexandre Murat in 1920 from Chaumet and set with one of the largest natural pearls ever recorded. Enjoying similarly illustrious provenance is a selection of jewels from the collection of a member of the Princely Family of Thurn und Taxis, the collection of the late Prince Kinsky, and the collection of Prince Filippo Corsini to name but a few.

An extremely rare, aristocratic Beau Sancy diamond, which has passed through the royal families of France, England, Prussia and the Netherlands’ House of Orange, is to go up for auction at Sotheby’s.

The stone, a 35-carat modified ‘pear double rose cut’ diamond belonging to Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia and the present Head of the House of Hohenzollern, is expected to fetch between £1.24m and £2.47m (2m-4m USD).

The diamond originated from the mines in India near Golconda and was acquired by Nicolas de Harlay, Lord of Sancy, in Constantinople in the 1500s, explaining its name. In 1604 it was bought for 75,000 livres by French king Henry IV as a gift for his wife, Marie de Medici. According to Sotheby’s, the queen had long coveted the stone, especially after learning that de Harlay had sold a larger diamond called the Sancy and now part of the Louvre Collection to King James I of England.

Sold: 9,042,500 CHF

The Murat Tiara

The Murat Tiara will be auctioned also by Sotheby’s. Est. CHF 1,375,000 – 2,285,000/ $1,500,000 – 2,500,000. Photo: Sotheby’s – an impressive pearl and diamond diadem created in 1920 by Joseph Chaumet for the marriage of Prince Alexandre Murat to Yvonne Gillois. The tiara boasts one of the largest natural pearls ever recorded, at 303.37 grains, with the SSEF laboratory stating “natural pearls of this size, quality and with a documented historic provenance are very rare and thus the described tiara with three large pearls represents a very exceptional treasure”.

Sold: 3,610,500 CHF

***

Elena Lupescu’s long lost earrings

Tags

Elena Lupescu, King Carol II, Royal jewels

Credit: Woolley and Wallis

The pearl and diamond earrings had been left in a drawer for 35 years before they were sold to an anonymous phone bidder by Woolley & Wallis on 26 April 2012. The owner had not worn the earrings and had no idea of their value until February. The jewels were a gift from King Carol II to Elena Lupescu.

Description: A pair of early 20th Century natural pearl and diamond drop earrings, the drop shaped pearls suspend from an articulated line of graduated circular cut diamonds with further diamonds set to the caps. Screw fittings. With report number 62440 and dated 1st March 2012 from SSEF (Swiss Gemmological Institute) stating that both pearls are natural saltwater and weigh 34.508cts (138.03 grains) and 33.235cts (132.94 grains). They were estimated between £80,000-120,000 and sold for  £1,400,000 [hammer price] on 26 April 2012.

Jonathan Edwards of Woolley & Wallis said: “We believe they were acquired on one of the famous European tours with King Carol. The vendors brought them to us for valuation out of curiosity and were astonished to discover their value. We are absolutely thrilled with the result and delighted for the family.”

The Crown Jewels: Symbols of the British monarchy

Tags

British Monarchy, Crown Jewels, Diamond Jubilee

On 29 March 2012, a new display of the crown jewels will be revealed at the Tower of London to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen. This year’s display will feature new lighting and film footage to showcase the Crown Jewels in their full glory.

Rosenborg Castle, special exhibition: Pearls

Tags

Royal jewels

PEARLS. Royal splendour – Modern design. Special exhibition. 11 Feb. 2012 – 28 May, 2012

A splendid selection of Romanian Royal Jewels

Tags

Cotroceni Palace, Diana Mandache, Marie Alexandrovna, Queen Marie of Romania, Romanian Royal Jewels, Romanov jewels, Royal jewels

Marie of Romania at her residence, the Cotroceni Palace. She wears a circle diamond tiara, a gift from her mother Marie Alexandrovna, Duchess of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Courtesy of the Romanian National Museum of History (Diana Mandache's weblog Royal History)

Above are two photomontages showing Crown Princess Marie’s exquisite jewellery possesions: the big silver chain belt with amethysts and moon stones  and the chain with two Maltese Crosses set in diamonds and  amethysts. Some of these jewels are now exhibited for the public at the Romanian National History Museum in Bucharest.  Diana Mandache

Treasure of the Romanovs: jewellery designs

Tags

Grand Duchess of Russia, Ksenia Aleksandrovna, Romanov jewels, Royal jewels

Two lavishly illustrated inventories of jewellery belonging to Ksenia Aleksandrovna, the Grand Duchess of Russia, are highlights of the Russian Sale, taking place on the 30 November 2011 at Bonhams, New Bond Street.

The albums served her as a personal, visual diary and are almost completely unrelated to political circumstances, which the Grand Duchess elaborated upon in correspondence and personal accounts elsewhere.  Each birthday, name day, Christmas and Easter was marked with jewelled gifts from her inner circle comprising of her tutors, close friends and family. The modest pendants and lockets of the young girl are recorded, small gifts from the courtship of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (‘Sandro’) who was later to become her husband, and the simple rings marking the birth of her seven children.  Grand Duchess Ksenia’s wedding celebrations marked one of the last times the Crown commissioned jewellery from the Treasury. The exquisite emerald, ruby and sapphire jewellery sets gifted by her parents, as well as the diamond necklaces, tiara and the pear collier-de-chien, by the jewellery house Bolin, were all recorded and annotated by Kensia in the inventories offered by Bonhams. The notes simply read “from Mama and Papa for the wedding”.

Montblanc “Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco”

H.R.H The Princess Caroline of Hanover, H.S.H Princess Charlene of Monaco (wearing bracelet and earrings from the Montblanc Haute Joaillerie Riviera Collection), H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Lutz Bethge, CEO of Montblanc International, attend the Montblanc “Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco” World Premiere presentation under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II at Monte-Carlo Opera on 8 September 2011.

Forthcoming exhibition: Royal Faberge

Tags

British Royal Family, Buckingham Palace, Faberge

New Official photos: William & Catherine, Throne Room, Buckingham

Tags

British Royal Family, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, European royal families, Prince William, Royal wedding

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for an official photo in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011. Photographs by Hugo Burnand

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for an official photo with left to right): Miss Grace van Cutsem, Miss Eliza Lopes, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HM The Queen, The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Lady Louise Windsor, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton. Back Row (left to right): Master Tom Pettifer, HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Harry of Wales, Mr Michael Middleton, Mrs Michael Middleton, Mr James Middleton, Miss Philippa Middleton, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, 29 April 2011

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pose for an official photo with (clockwise from bottom right) The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Miss Eliza Lopes, Miss Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Master Tom Pettifer, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, 29 April 2011, Photographs by Hugo Burnand

Sotheby’s Geneva to Sell the Most Important Emerald & Diamond Tiara

Tags

Royal jewels

A magnificent and extremely rare emerald and diamond tiara, circa 1900, formerly in the Collection of Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck. Est. $5-10 million (CHF 4.5-9 million). Photo: Sotheby's

 

GENEVA. David Bennett, Sotheby’s Chairman of Jewellery for Europe and the Middle East, today announced that Sotheby’s will sell the most valuable emerald and diamond Tiara to have appeared at auction in over 30 years in its sale of Magnificent and Noble Jewels in Geneva on the 17th May 2011. Estimated to sell for £3.1-6.2 million (CHF 4.5- 9 million / $5-10 million), the Highly Important and Extremely Rare Emerald and Diamond Tiara is composed of 11 exceptionally rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops which weigh over 500 carats in total, which may well have originally adorned the neck of a Maharajah. These emeralds are also believed to have been in the personal collection of Empress Eugénie. This tiara was commissioned, possibly from the renowned jewelers Chaumet, by Guido Count von Henckel, First Prince von Donnersmarck for his second wife Princess Katharina (1862-1929). The jewellery collection of the Donnersmarcks was known to be on a par with, or even to have exceeded, those of many of the crowned heads of Europe.

Source: artdaily.org

Wartski exhibition, London: a Carl Fabergé brooch designed for Marie of Romania

Tags

Diana Mandache, European royal families, Faberge jewellery, Familia regala, Imperial Russia, istoria regalitatii, Princess Marie of Edinburgh, Queen Marie of Romania, Regina Maria, Romanian Royal Family, Royal jewels

I have been pleasantly surprised the other day when I received an e-mail from Wartsky informing me about their wonderful forthcoming exhibition, which will feature an exquisite brooch once owned by Marie of Romania and specially designed for her by Carl Faberge. I believe that Marie commissioned this brooch when she visited Moscow with the occasion of Tsar Nicholas II’s coronation. I would like to thank Wartsky and Kieran McCarthy who has sent me the e-mail for this very kind communication.

The Last Flowering of Court Art is a loan exhibition of a private collection of Fabergé owned by a Russian couple who live in London. They began collecting just after the fall of the Soviet Union and amongst the many ‘New Russians’ to collect Fabergé, they were the very first . Possessing the highest levels of discernment and guided by an uncompromising determination to acquire only the best of Fabergé’s work, they have succeeded in assembling an important collection of the Imperial Goldsmith’s work. The pieces to be exhibited have brought a shared joy to their lives and the choice of objects is a reflection of their joint tastes. Their passion for Fabergé has produced a collection covering the spectrum of Fabergé’s work and includes some of the firm’s most prized pieces. Among them a presentation brooch from Princess Marie of Romania, made from yellow gold, enamelled translucent bright pink over a sunburst guillochage, in the form of an a scrolling ‘M’,centred by a rose diamond representation of a crown. Moscow, 1896-1908. 3.4 cm across. Provenance: From the collection of a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria. [extract from http://www.wartski.com/]

Pecten shell shaped brooch with the crowned monogram of Princess Marie of Romania made by C. Faberge (end of the c19th). Photo Source: Wartski www.wartski.com

Princess Marie's cipher, 1896, design probably derived from the shell shaped brooch shown above. Photo by ©Diana Mandache

For another pink enamel brooch  from Queen Marie of Romania see: Fabergé and the Russian Jewellers, Wartski, June 2006, number 228:

Source: Wartski www.wartski.com/ Courtesy of Kieran McCarthy

‘The Last Flowering of Court Art’: A private Russian collection of Fabergé. A loan exhibition at Wartski, 23rd November-4th December 2010

©Diana Mandache’s Weblog www.royalromania.wordpress.com

Three MARIEs wearing the historical Diamond Fringe Tiara

Tags

Diamond Fringe Tiara, European royal families, Familia regala, Imperial Russia, Marie Alexandrovna, Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, Queen Marie of Romania, Regina Maria, Romanian Royal Family, Royal jewels, Royal tiaras, Russian Imperial Family, Serbian Royal family

The historical Diamond Fringe Tiara of  Imperial Russian design  - Kokoshnik – belonged to Marie Grand Duchess of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha received from her father, the Tsar Alexander II. Marie Alexandrovna bequeathed it to her eldest daughter, Queen Marie of Romania, who in her turn gave it to her daughter Queen Maria of Yugoslavia. This historical royal tiara was ultimately sold by Maria, the Queen Mother of Yugoslavia in July 1960 through Sotheby’s for an amount of £ 10,800 to Levy Cohen. The photomontage above shows the three Maries (grandmother, daughter and granddaughter) wearing this beautiful piece of jewellery on a background formed by the tiara itself.

Queen Marie of Romania w. the famous kokoshnik tiara. The Paintings are by Philip de Laszlo, 1936

Description: the larger vertical sections are set with cushion-shaped stones and pear-shaped stones at the tips, alternating with smaller collet-set sections, the whole graduating from the center, made in the early 19th century.

All rights reserved ©Diana Mandache’s weblog

see also Philip de Laszlo in 1936 at the Romanian Royal Court

Forthcoming book: ‘Jewels of the Romanovs’ by Stefano Papi

Tags

European royal families, Familia regala, Imperial Russia, Noblesse et Royautés, Romanov jewels, Royal jewels, Royal tiaras, Russian Imperial Family

Stefano Papi’s new book ‘Jewels of the Romanovs. Family & Court’ is published by Thames & Hudson (September 2010):

Every jewel tells a story. Through his work at Sotheby’s and Christie’s and his own extensive research, Stefano Papi has spent years unraveling the mysteries of Russian imperial jewelry. He identifies pieces with little or unknown provenance, and he uncovers the fascinating stories behind the jewels and the people who wore them. He takes us through the golden years, and after the Revolution he follows the survivors of the Romanov line—and their jewelry—in European courts and in Paris, where many exiles sought refuge.

I am happy to announce that the book also contains a few relevant photographs from my collection

For more details click here

Weekly Picture: Queen Marie’s royal monogram – Gold Badge

Tags

European royal families, Familia regala, istoria regalitatii, Noblesse et Royautés, Queen Marie of Romania, Regina Maria, Romanian Royal Family, Royal ciphers, Royal jewels, Royal Monograms

Queen Marie 's badge. RNHM Collection

The design of this gold badge is a representation of Queen Marie’s royal cipher crowned by the State Crown of Romania. I very much like the two round emerald stones pointing its sharp angled edges and making such a wonderful colour contrast with that of the gold metal. The badge  has once been among Marie’s personal jewellery.

********

I endeavor in the “Weekly Pictures” post series to bring to light worthy of note, often less known images from the royal past and present and thus further enhance the understanding of royal history and what it represents for us.

Weekly picture: ©Diana Mandache’s weblog Royal History

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material is strictly prohibited

Weekly Picture: Queen Marie w. the Russian Kokoshnik Sapphire & Diamond Tiara

Tags

European royal families, Familia regala, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, King Ferdinand, Noblesse et Royautés, Queen Marie of Romania, Regele Ferdinand, Regina Maria, Romanian Royal Family, Royal jewels, Royal tiaras

Queen Marie of Romania. Weekly Picture: Diana Mandache's Weblog - Royal History

*********

I endeavour in the “Weekly Pictures” post series to bring to light worthy of note, often less known images from the royal past and present and thus further enhance the understanding of royal history and what it represents for us.

Weekly picture: ©Diana Mandache’s weblog Royal History

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited.