Origin of name
The "Marquess of Lothian Emerald and Diamond Necklace" created in the
neo-classic style of the Napoleonic period like the "Marie-Louise Emerald and
Diamond Necklace" and the "Empress Josephine Emerald and Diamond Necklace"
(presently part of the Norwegian Emerald and Diamond Parure), had been a
family heirloom of the Marquesses of Lothian of the Kerr family, since the
necklace was bequeathed to John William Robert Kerr, the 7th Marquess of
Lothian (1794-1841) by his aunt Amelia Hobart (Emily Hobart), the Viscountess
Castlereagh and the Marchioness of Londonderry, who was childless. Amelia
Hobart inherited the necklace from her mother Caroline Connolly who was the
second wife of the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire Sir John Hobart, who was the
ambassador of the United Kingdom in Russia from 1762-65, during the period
of rule of Catherine the Great. Though the emerald and diamond necklace as
it is at present, was actually put together by the 7th Marquess of Lothian,
probably for the coronation of King William IV in 1831, using the services
of the court jewelers, every generation of the Marquesses of Lothian had
believed that the emeralds used in the necklace had actually been gifted by
Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, when the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire,
Sir John Hobart was serving as the ambassador of the United Kingdom at St.
Petersburg in the period 1762-65. It is for this reason that the "Marquess
of Lothian Emerald and Diamond Necklace" is also sometimes referred to as
the "Catherine the Great Emerald and Diamond Necklace."
Characteristics of the necklace
The center piece of the emerald and diamond necklace is a large octagonal
step-cut domed emerald, surrounded by four linear triads of diamonds,
situated on four sides of the octagonal emerald. Each triad consists of a
single large round-shaped diamond in the center with two smaller
round-shaped diamonds on either side. A large drop-shaped emerald hangs from
the octagonal emerald as a pendant. The necklace itself consists of a row of
alternating cushion-cut diamonds and square or rectangular step-cut
emeralds. There are 14 cushion-cut diamonds and 13 square or rectangular
step-cut emeralds in the necklace. The cushion-cut diamonds are set in
silver collets, and the square or rectangular step-cut emeralds are set in
gold collets. A single emerald on the rear of the necklace in line with the
octagonal emerald center piece, is part of an emerald clasp for the
necklace. Fourteen pear-shaped emeralds are attached as pendants to the
fourteen cushion-shaped diamonds right round the necklace. All pear-shaped
emeralds are attached directly to the cushion-shaped diamonds, except for
two corresponding pairs on ether side of the central pendant. The first
corresponding pair of pear-shaped emeralds have a triangular triad of small
round-shaped diamonds, through which they are attached to the cushion-shaped
diamonds. The second corresponding pair of pear-shaped emeralds are attached
to the cushion-shaped diamonds through a single small round-shaped emerald.
This type of necklace with pendants all round was developed during the
neo-classical period for the low neck dresses that became fashionable for
the ladies of the royal court during the Napoleonic period. The popularity
of such dresses for formal functions in royal circles, as well as high class
societies, had never waned and remained high ever since, to this day.
Characteristics of the pair of earrings
The "Marquess of Lothian Emerald and Diamond Necklace" also has a pair of
matching drop-shaped pendant earrings. Each pendant earring has a central
large oval-shaped domed faceted emerald in the center, set in a gold collet
and surrounded by small round-shaped diamonds, set in triangular-shaped
collets of silver. The two pendant earrings perfectly match one another in
all its features, and are also a perfect match for the necklace
surrounded by emerald pendants.
History of the emerald and diamond necklace
Source of the emeralds
If as it is claimed, the emeralds in the necklace were gifts from
Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, in the late 18th century, the source of the emeralds
was undoubtedly one of the prolific emerald mines of Colombia, such as the
Somondoco (Chivor) mines or the Muzo mines. In all probability the source
must have been the Muzo emerald mines, as these mines were in continuous
production from 1594 to around 1750, when a disastrous fire halted
production, and was not resumed until after independence in 1819. It is
highly unlikely that the source could have been the Chivor mines, as
production period in these mines was from around 1540 to 1675. The
Chivor mines were then closed down indefinitely by royal decree issued by
King Charles II of Spain due to the brutal and cruel treatment of Indian
workers in the mine. The Chivor mines were re-discovered and resumed
production again only in 1911.
Is it possible that the source of the emeralds could have been the prolific
emerald mines of the Ural Mountains in Russia itself ? This is highly
unlikely, because, even though Pliny the Elder had mentioned Scythia in the
Ural Mountains as an ancient source of high quality emeralds, in his book
Natural History, finished in 79 A.D., in recent history emeralds were
discovered in Russia only in the year 1831, when the Tokovaya emerald mines
on the banks of the Tokovaya river, were discovered accidentally by a
Russian peasant charcoal burner Maxim Stefanovitch Koshevnikov. This was
several years after Catherine the Great, who ruled from 1762 to 1796.
Thus the emeralds in the "Marquess of Lothian Emerald and Diamond Necklace"
are undoubtedly of Colombian origin.
John Hobart, the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
Earl of Buckinghamshire is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and was
created in 1746 for John Hobart, the 1st Baron Hobart, who descended from
Henry Hobart, who served as Attorney General and Lord Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas. On his death in 1756 John Hobart, the 1st Earl of
Buckinghamshire was succeeded by his eldest son from his 1st marriage, John
Hobart, the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire. The 2nd Earl before assuming his
title, was a Member of Parliament for Norwich from 1747-1756. In 1756 he was
appointed to the office of the Comptroller of the Household, the second
office under the Lord Steward. The office of the Comptroller controls the
accounts and reckonings of the Green Cloth, of which board he is always a
member. He carries a white staff, and is always one of the Privy Council.
Between 1756 and 1762, he was appointed to the office of the Lord of the Bed
Chamber, whose duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing,
waiting on him when he ate in private, guarding access to him in his
bedchamber and closet, and providing companionship.
John Hobart-2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire
In 1762, the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire was appointed as the ambassador of
the United Kingdom to Russia, the same year the ambitious Catherine the
Great ousted her husband Peter III, in a coup plotted by her lover Gregory Orlov, and ascended the throne as Empress of Russia. The relationship
between Gregory Orlov and Catherine the Great lasted for 14 years from 1758
to 1772, and represents the longest relationship she ever had with a man
during her lifetime. It is well known that Catherine the Great took many
lovers during her life time, out of whom the names of twelve lovers are well
documented. Gregory Orlov is placed 3rd on the list of lovers taken by
Catherine the Great.
Sir John Hobart, the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire, married his first wife
Mary Ann Drury, the daughter of Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Drury, on 14th
July 1761, with a fortune of £50,000. Sir John Hobart
accompanied by his wife, Lady Mary Ann Drury took up the appointment of
Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Russia, and was based in the Capital St.
Petersburg. He served as Ambassador for three years from 1762 to 1765, after
which he was recalled back to London. As an ambassador of one of the
powerful monarchies of Europe, Sir John Hobart and his wife Lady Hobart were
held in high esteem by Catherine the Great, who gifted them with jewels and
jewelry, that included emeralds and emerald-studded jewelry. All monarchies
in Europe around this time had plentiful supplies of these glittering green
gemstones, which reached their capitals in large quantities via Spain, the
colonial master of Colombia, the main producing country of emeralds during
this period. Thus, whatever gifts received by Sir John Hobart from Catherine
the Great during his tenure of office, was a result of routine diplomatic
courtesies extended to the Ambassador of a powerful nation. To suggest
otherwise, given her amorous relationships with handsome young men, would be
a distortion of historical facts. Moreover during this period she had a very
close and passionate relationship with Count Gregory Orlov, that nearly
resulted in their marriage.
On his return to England, the 2nd Earl of
Buckinghamshire resumed his duties as the Lord of the Bed Chamber, and
was subsequently appointed as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in which
capacity he served from 1776-1780. His first wife Lady Drury, by whom he had
three children, all girls, died on December 30, 1769, at the age of 29
years. In the year 1770 he married his second wife Caroline Conolly,
daughter of Rt. Hon. William Conolly, by whom he had four children, a
daughter and 3 sons, but only the daughter survived. The 2nd Earl of
Buckinghamshire died on August 3rd, 1793, and bequeathed his emeralds to his
wife Caroline Conolly.
Lady Amelia Anne Hobart
inherits the emeralds from Lady Caroline Conolly
When Lady Caroline Conolly died in January 1817, she bequeathed the emerald
jewelry to her only surviving child Lady Amelia Anne Hobart. It is said that
an inventory drawn up after her death lists an emerald necklace among other
jewelry owned by her.
Lady Amelia Anne Hobart married Robert Stewart, the Viscount Castlereagh
(later the 2nd Marquess of Londonderry) in 1794. The couple remained devoted
to each other to the end, but they had no children. Viscount Castlereagh was
an Anglo-Irish politician, who served in various capacities as Member of
Parliament, Chief Secretary for Ireland, Secretary of State for War and the
Colonies, Leader of the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary and the chief
representative of the United Kingdom at the Congress of Vienna, at which he
proposed a form of collective and collaborative security for Europe which
was known as the Congress System, the forerunner of the modern organizations
such as the NATO, the EU, the League of Nations and the United Nations.
Viscount Castlereagh
Viscount Castlereagh was highly respected for his diplomatic skills as
Foreign Secretary, for forging the alliance between the United Kingdom,
Russia, Austria and Prussia, that saw the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte. He
was also responsible for promoting the career of the Duke of
Wellington, that hastened the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte. During his
visits to the capital cities of monarchies in Europe, he was received warmly
and given valuable gifts which included jewels and jewelry set with diamonds
and emeralds. He gave all gifts received to his beloved wife. Apart from
this he also spent his own money to purchase jewels and jewelry for his
wife. During his trip to Vienna for the Congress he is reported to have
purchased an emerald and diamond ornament for his wife. Lady Amelia being
the wife of a renowned statesman was always in the lime light and must have
adorned herself with the best of jewels and jewelry to all court functions
both in Great Britain and Europe.
Lady Amelia bequeaths her jewels and jewelry
to 7th Marquess of Lothian
When Lady Amelia died on February 12, 1829, she bequeathed her jewels and
jewelry including the emeralds and diamonds to her nephew, John William
Robert Kerr, the 7th Marquess of Lothian (1794-1841), the son of her
half-sister Lady Harriet Hobart and her husband William Kerr, the 6th
Marquess of Lothian. It was the 7th Marquess of Lothian who got the emeralds
and diamonds re-set into the magnificent emerald and diamond necklace and
matching pair of earrings, that is the subject of this webpage. It is
believed that the re-setting was executed by the court jewelers perhaps in
anticipation of the coronation of King William IV in 1831.
7th Marquess of Lothian
Thus the Marquess of Lothian Emerald and Diamond Necklace and
matching pair of earrings are extremely rare pieces of jewelry with a
historic provenance associated with the British aristocracy, that have
survived intact to the present day. Most of the antique jewelry of this
period have been dismantled by jewelry houses and re-set in modern settings
and sold to their customers.
The Marquess of Lothian Emerald and Diamond
Necklace and Earrings are presently part of the collection of Albion Art
Jewelry Museum in Japan
The historic necklace and earrings are today part of the collection of
antique jewelry in the Albion Art Jewelry Museum in Japan. Albion Art was
established in the city of Fukuoka in 1980, by Mr. Kazumi Arikawa, which was
a successor to its predecessor Arikawa Jewelry founded by Mrs. Mieko Arikawa,
in Kita Kyushu in 1970. Albion Art Co. Ltd. specializes in the importation
and sale of superior antique European jewelry and also manufactures its own
jewelry. It also engages in the retail sales of its jewelry through its
retail outlets in Hotel New Otani Hakata, Fukuoka and in the Hotel Okura
main building in Tokyo. In the year 2003, the company established the Albion
Art Jewelry Institute, which was to be the cultural activities division of
the company. The Institute contributes broadly to cultural exchanges of art
and jewelry, and organizes exhibitions of art and paintings held in-house or
other galleries and museums. The company by promoting fine arts and jewelry
has developed the concept that jewelry is also a form of artistic
expression.
Related
Emerald and Diamond Parure of Marie Louise Empress of France
Norwegian Emerald Parure - Empress Josephine's Emerald Parure
External Links
Website of Albion Art Japan, www.albionart.com.
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References
1.Website of Albion Art Japan, www.albionart.com.
2.John
Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3.Sir
John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire - the Peerage.com - A genealogical
survey of the peerage of Britain, as well as the royal families of Europe.
4.Robert
Stewart - Viscount Castlereagh - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
