Cultured pearl jewelry pieces from
Princess Margaret's jewelry collection
Our of the nearly 200 pieces of jewelry in the Princess Margaret's
collection, 15 pieces incorporated cultured pearls in them. This webpage
is dedicated to three such pieces, two of which were designed by the
renowned British Jewelry designer John Donald, who revolutionized
British jewelry design in the 1960s, by introducing new techniques in
jewel crafting. The third piece is a South Sea pearl necklace made up of
40 South Sea pearls and 55 cm long.
1) A Pair of Cultured Pearl and Diamond
Earclips, by John Donald - Lot No. 47
Features of the Earclips
The theme adopted by John Donald for the earclips is a naturalistic
theme. Each earclip is designed as a cluster of foliate sprigs,
consisting of seven fruits represented by white spherical cultured
pearls, surrounded by foliage or floral leaves, made of 18-carat yellow
gold. Each pearl is surrounded by four or five yellow gold leaves. The
cluster is made of one central pearl surrounded by six other pearls, in
which a larger and smaller pearl are placed alternately. The composite
structure is such that some of the yellow gold leaves form an almost
star-like pattern. Within this star-shaped pattern, five round
brilliant-cut diamonds appear to be placed at the tip of five yellow
gold leaves. The pearls appear to be set on wires, but the diamonds with
the usual claw setting. The tip of the yellow gold leaves appear to have
been subjected to "nugget treatment" by melting and piercing by
hand. The piece has been hallmarked for 18-carat gold,
guaranteeing the quality of precious metal. The year 1972, indicates the
year of manufacture. The pair of earclips is accompanied by its original
brown suede John Donald case, signed JAD for John Donald.
A Pair of Cultured Pearl and Diamond Earclips by John Donald
©
Christie's
The probable source
of the pearls
H.R.H. Princess Margaret, and H.M. Queen Elizabeth,
The Queen Mother, purchased jewelry items designed by John Donald in the
1960s and 1970s, after he was introduced to them by Sir Anthony
Armstrong Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. The above pair of cultured pearl
and diamond earclips was designed and manufactured and probably
purchased in 1972. Considering the year of manufacture, the source of
the cultured pearls was most probably Japan, and the pearls are in fact
cultured Akoya pearls. In the 1960s Japan was the only country in the
world producing cultured pearls. The culturing of South Sea pearls in
Australia, was at an experimental stage in the 1960s and was firmly
established only in the mid-1970s. The features of the pearls, such as
the silvery-white color, the uniform spherical shapes, and smaller size
of the pearls, seem to be in conformity with features of Akoya pearls
produced in Japan.
Sale of the pair of
Earclips
The Pair of Cultured Pearl and Diamond Earclips, by
John Donald, was Lot No. 47, at the Christie's London auctions of
Princess Margaret's Jewelry and Faberge Collection, that was held on
June 13, 2006. A pre-sale estimate of £1,500 to
£2,000 was placed on the lot, but in keeping with the enhanced trend
shown at the auctions, undoubtedly attributed to royal provenance and
the popularity of the Princess, the lot sold for £15,600 ($28,704),
almost 8 times, the upper pre-sale estimate.
2) A
Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring, by John Donald - Lot No.49
Features of the Ring
The ring which has a ring size M, equivalent to
USA size 6, with a diameter of 16.51 mm and circumference of 51.5 mm,
has as its centerpiece a large, near-spherical, silver-white cultured
pearl, partially bordered by round brilliant-cut diamonds, at three
areas. The first area has 6 diamonds arranged in a row, the second area
5 diamonds and the third area 4 diamonds. The gaps between these diamond
set areas are occupied by textured nugget flakes of gold, an innovative
design first introduced by John Donald in the 1960s. The ring was
designed in the 1970s, and was accompanied by the original green leather
John Donald case.
A Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring by John Donald- Princess Margaret's
Collection
©
Christie's
The probable source
of the cultured pearl
The ring was designed in the 1970s. Around this time
the main source of cultured pearls in the world was Japan. In Australia,
after experimental farms established in the 1960s for culturing South
Sea pearls, the techniques of successfully culturing South Sea pearls
was perfected by Nicholas Paspaley and his team of scientists, only
after 1973. Thus, if the ring was designed in the early1970s, the source
of the cultured pearl in the ring, could still be Japan. However, if the
ring was designed in the late 1970s, the possible source of the pearl
could be either Japan or Australia.
The sale of the
Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring
The Cultured Pearl and Diamond Ring, by John Donald
was Lot No.49 at the Christie's London sale of H.R.H. Princess
Margaret's jewelry and Faberge collection, put up for auction by her two
children, in order to pay up the 40% death duty imposed on her estate,
which amounted to around £3 million. The sale that
took place on June 13, 2006 had an enormous worldwide response, and
created records unprecedented in the history of jewelry auctions, some
pieces recording prices over 100 times the pre-sale estimates. The
two-day sale that also included sale of artwork, silver, furniture etc.
on the second day, netted a total of £13.6 million, nearly £10 million
more than the pre-sale total estimate of around £3 million, the same
amount owed as tax.
A pre-sale estimate of £700 to
£1,000 was placed on the ring, but in keeping with enhanced trend
recorded for previous items, the lot was sold for £22,800 ($41,952),
almost 23 times higher than the upper pre-sale estimate.
John Donald
revolutionized British jewelry design in the 1960s, and his designs were
described as "Baroque in mood and organic in form."
John Donald, is an
innovative jewelry designer of the 1960s, who is credited with
revolutionizing traditional British jewelry design, and introducing new
techniques in designing, such as experimenting with molten gold in
water, creating a variety of fascinating shapes to work with, and the
"nugget effect" a melting and piercing treatment of silver and gold,
producing an effect that reflected the natural form in which they are
found. Gold and silver exist naturally as nuggets, and creating the
texture of these nuggets was known as the "nugget effect." John Donald
was also a pioneer in using natural crystals, including precious stones,
in their rough and uncut forms, in settings of gold together with pearls, cut
and polished diamonds and other gemstones. Eg. the John Donald Brooch,
with jade, pearls and diamonds set in yellow gold that was designed in
1970. His designs have been described as Baroque in mood and essentially
organic in form. His famous "crown" design was a innovative jewelry
concept, in which stones were set on very fine wires, all at different
levels, within the textured gold work of the crown.
John Donald Brooch with Jade, Pearls and Diamonds (External Link
Photograph)
In the 1960s John Donald's work
as a jewelry designer received a major boost, when his innovative
creations were granted royal patronage, by H.R.H. the Princess Margaret
and H.M. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who purchased works by
John Donald, after he was introduced to them, by Antony Armstrong Jones,
the 1st Earl of Snowdon. John Donald's original creations, combining
meticulously handcrafted gold work and unusual gemstones, have received
wide acclaim, and his masterpieces are featured in renowned museums,
such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, the Royal Museum of
Scotland, Edinburgh and the Pforzheim Museum in Germany, as well as at
the Hall of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
3) A South Sea
Cultured Pearl Necklace - Lot No.58
Features of the
Necklace
The necklace is a
"Matinee" under the modern system of classification of pearl necklaces
The necklace which is 55 cm (22 inches) long, is a
"matinee" under the modern system of classification of pearl necklaces,
falling within the range of 21 to 24 inches. See table below.
Modern classification
of pearl necklaces based on the length of the strand
|
S/N |
Length of strand in inches |
Category |
|
1 |
10"-13" |
Collar |
|
2 |
14"-16" |
Choker |
|
3 |
17"-20" |
Princess |
|
4 |
21"-24" |
Matinee |
|
5 |
25"-34" |
Opera |
|
6 |
>35" |
Rope |
The size of the
pearls in the neckace
The necklace is made up of a single strand of 40
South Sea cultured pearls. South Sea cultured pearls are produced by the
South Sea pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, the largest pearl oyster
occurring in nature, whose shell can reach a maximum diameter of 30 cm
(12 ins). Pinctada maxima is also the largest pearl oyster used in
culturing pearls. In keeping with the large size of the oysters and the
large gonads they possess, where bead nuclei are usually implanted, the
cultured pearls produced by these oysters, are the largest produced by
any oyster, varying in size from between 9-20 mm, with an average size
of around 13-14 mm. The size of the pearls in this particular necklace,
varies from 10.4 to 12.1 mm. The yellow gold clasp of the necklace is
set with a white South Sea
mabé pearl.
The shape of the
pearls in the necklace is a combination of round and near-round shapes
The shape of the pearls in the necklace appear to be
a combination of spherical and near-spherical pearls. Perfectly round
cultured South Sea pearls are not only rare but also the most
sought after and expensive. Near-round, button, drop, oval, pear,
baroque and ringed shapes are more common. Unpredictable weather
conditions during culturing, and lying of the oyster on one side for a
long time, lead to uneven deposition of nacre, and formation of shapes
other than perfectly round. After taking measures to minimize the
effects of weather conditions, and turning over of the oysters at
regular intervals, the shape of the pearls can be improved, yet
semi-round or near-round pearls are still more common than perfectly
round pearls. Thus most of the South Sea pearl necklaces, are mixed with
round and semi-round pearls. A South Sea pearl necklace made up of only
perfectly round pearls is extremely rare and considered to be an
investment grade necklace.
A South Sea Cultured Pearl Necklace- Princess Margaret's Collection
©
Christie's
The color,
overtone, luster and orient of the pearls in the necklace
The color of the pearls in the necklace is
silvery-white, in which white is the body color of the pearl, and silver
the overtone color. The white body color is caused by the lack of
pigments associated with the conchiolin part of nacre, that makes it
transparent, allowing the white color of aragonite to show through. The
silver overtone is caused by refraction as light passes through
successive layers of aragonite and conchiolin. The color, overtone,
luster and orient of pearls are all dependant on the thickness of nacre,
which is maximum in South Sea pearls, and can be as high as 2 to 6 mm.
Luster, caused by the reflection of light from the surface and just
below the surface of nacre, is deep, satin-like, rich and luxurious, a
characteristic feature of South Sea pearls, that sets them apart from
other cultured pearls. Orient or iridescence, also caused by refraction
and dependant on the thickness of nacre, is maximum for South Sea
pearls.
Sale of the South Sea
cultured pearl necklace
The South Sea Cultured Pearl Necklace was Lot No.58,
at the London Christie's Auction of Princess Margaret's jewelry and
Faberge collection, held on June 13, 2006. A pre-sale estimate of
£800 - £1,200, was placed on the necklace. However,
in keeping with the unprecedented demand shown by bidders for anything
associated with the popular princess, the South Sea cultured pearl
necklace, recorded an enhanced price of £24,000, 20 times higher than
the upper pre-sale estimate.
You are welcome to discuss this
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world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1) Cultured
Pearl Necklace and Earclips from Princess Margaret's collection
2) Princess
Margaret's Five Row Art Deco Pearl And Diamond Necklace
3)
Cultured Pearl Jabot-Pin & Coral and Cultured Pearl Bracelet, Princess
Margaret's Jewelry Collection
External Links :-
1)
Christie's Sale 7335. Sale Catalogue, Lot No.47 - A Pair of Cultured
Pearl And Diamond Earclips, by John Donald.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
2) Christie's Sale 7335. Sale Catalogue, Lot No.49 -
A Cultured Pearl And Diamond Ring, by John Donald.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
3) Christie's Sale 7335. Sale Catalogue, Lot No.58 -
A South Sea Cultured Pearl Necklace.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
References :-
1) Christie's Sale 7335. Sale Catalogue, Lot No.47 -
A Pair of Cultured Pearl And Diamond Earclips, by John Donald.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
2) Christie's Sale 7335. Sale Catalogue, Lot No.49 -
A Cultured Pearl And Diamond Ring, by John Donald. www.christies.com/lotfinder
3) Christie's Sale 7335. Sale Catalogue, Lot No.58 -
A South Sea Cultured Pearl Necklace. www.christies.com/lotfinder
4) John Donald - www.johndonald.com
5) John Donald - Jewelry designer. From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia
6) Summer exhibition at Goldsmith's Hall, City of
London - by Maggie Snell. www.modernsilver.com
7) Revolutionary jewelry to go under hammer at
Bonhams, London on 13 September 2006. www.bonhams.com
