REVIEW: JEWELLERY AND OBJECTS OF VERTU AUCTION 14 JUNE

Proof that Royal Provenance is a premium factor at auction came with the sale of Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk’s personal Coronation gift from the Queen, selling for £180,000 at Noonans on June 14.

Head of department Frances Noble and her team doubled the triumph with a £60,000 hammer price for an Art Deco diamond brooch, formerly the property of HRH The Princess Margaret, selling for ten times the pre-sale estimate.

We detailed the history and significance of the ER diamond coronation presentation brooch, inspired by an idea from Prince Philip, in our last newsletter. As Frances Noble commented then, “The background story to the brooch has proved to be both surprising and fascinating. After extensive research, we managed to piece together all the details of its provenance.”

Not only had the jewel signified such an important moment in British history, but it had also later played a romantic role as the gift from an Australian jeweller to his wife.
Following the extraordinary price achieved at the auction, Frances said: “The Duchess of Norfolk’s brooch had both Royal provenance and a personal story, the brooch being accompanied by a handwritten letter of thanks from the Queen addressed to the Duchess, who had stood in for Her Majesty at rehearsals for the Coronation service.”

A second thrilling result was achieved for Princess Margaret’s Art Deco brooch, made circa 1930. Set with approximately 6.10 carats of brilliant, single and baguette-cut diamonds and mounted in platinum, the brooch was presented in a Cartier case.

Following the dissolution of her marriage to the Earl of Snowdon in 1978, Princess Margaret had sold a collection of seven personal jewels at Sotheby’s, comprising a pendant and pair of earrings, as well as five brooches – this Art Deco brooch being one of them. The collection raised £11,000 on 14 June, 1979.

The private buyer from the Sothebys sale was to be the vendor of the brooch when it was offered at Noonans 43 years later to the day. The vendor had carefully kept the original Sotheby’s purchase receipt and printed catalogue, as well as two press cuttings from The Telegraph dated 25 May 1979 and 15 June 1979, which added additional value and interest to the lot.

These details alone would have been enough to spark the ensuing bidding battle between three parties, but added to this was the additional research by Noonans’ specialists, which revealed several public occasions when the Princess had worn the brooch.

The first was in 1956 when Princess Margaret departed London for a five-week official tour of East Africa. At a banquet in Port Louis, Mauritius, she was photographed wearing the 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.

On 10 July 1962, Princess Margaret was photographed at Buckingham Palace dressed in a pink satin evening gown and wearing the Royal Victorian Order with this diamond brooch, the Poltimore tiara, which she had purchased for her wedding in 1960, and again with her favourite necklace, Queen Mary’s diamond rivière.

A month later, 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.

“This was clearly a favourite piece of the Princess, which she often wore at formal engagements, accompanied by other significant Royal jewels” said Frances Noble.

“This stylish brooch would be any collector’s dream purchase”.