Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

Formerly the Property of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

An Art Deco diamond brooch, circa 1930, the openwork cartouche of geometric design with pointed terminals formed of pleated folds, set throughout with old brilliant, single and baguette-cut diamonds, mounted in platinum, the reverse with applied plaque stamped ‘PLATINUM’, later fitted Cartier case, total diamond weight approximately 6.10 carats, length 6.8cm. £6,000-£8,000

Provenance:

Sotheby’s, Property of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, lot 222, sale 14 June 1979. Accompanied by the original Sotheby’s purchase receipt and catalogue, and two press cuttings from The Telegraph dated 25 May 1979 and 15 June 1979.

The lot was purchased by the vendor directly from Sotheby’s in 1979.



Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret Rose, (1930-2002) was the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York and sister to Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II. Born at Glamis, the ancestral home of the Duchess of York, the Princess was the first royal baby to be born in Scotland since the year 1600. The family lived in London Piccadilly until 1936, when the abdication of King Edward VIII and the ascension of the Duke of York to King George VI, moved the family to Buckingham Palace and the residences of Windsor Castle, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle. Now second in line to the throne, Princess Margaret was to live her life in the public eye, becoming one of the world’s most celebrated socialites, iconised for her striking beauty, style and taste.


From an early age the Princess fully engaged with the Royal Family’s public work and went on to become patron or president of over eighty organisations. With a particular interest in the fields of welfare and the arts, her roles ranged from President of the National Society and Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to Honorary Doctor of Music at London University and President of the Royal Ballet.


On 6 May 1960 the Princess married the photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey. The following year he was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley. The couple, residing at Kensington Palace, went on to have two children; Lord Linley, born 3 November 1961 and Lady Sarah Chatto, born 1 May 1964. The marriage of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon was dissolved in May 1978.  The following year, Princess Margaret sold a collection of seven personal jewels at Sotheby’s, comprising five brooches, one pendant and a pair of earrings, this Art Deco brooch being one of the items offered for sale. The collection raised £11,000.


Princess Margaret’s love of jewellery, and brooches in particular, was evident throughout her life, always accessorising her outfits with carefully chosen examples. The Princess favoured this diamond brooch for numerous state functions and special engagements throughout the 1950s and 60s, usually pinning the brooch to the blue sash of the Royal Victorian Order, on her right shoulder, and wearing alongside several important Royal jewels. Princess Margaret was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in June 1953.

In 1956 Princess Margaret departed London for a five-week official tour of East Africa. At a banquet in Port Louis, Mauritius, the Princess is photographed wearing this brooch together with the Cartier rose brooch, Queen Mary’s diamond rivière and the Cartier Halo tiara. In 1958 Princess Margaret attended a banquet celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Royal Air Force and wore this brooch again with Queen Mary’s diamond rivière and the Cartier Halo tiara.

Princess Margaret purchased the Poltimore tiara for her wedding in 1960 and it is perhaps this tiara in particular that became famously associated with her. On 10 July 1962, Princess Margaret is photographed at Buckingham Palace dressed in a pink satin evening gown and wearing the Royal Victorian Order with this diamond brooch, the Poltimore tiara and again her favourite necklace, Queen Mary’s rivière. Later that year, in August, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon visited the Caribbean island of Jamaica, where the Princess represented her sister Queen Elizabeth II at the island’s celebrations of Independence, gained after more than 300 years of British rule. On 6 August, Princess Margaret opened the first session of the Jamaican Parliament in Kingston, again wearing this brooch on her right shoulder over the Royal Victorian Order, with the Lotus Flower tiara to her hair.