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Princess Margaret's
Collection of Natural Pearl Jewelry
There were about 10 pieces of natural pearl jewelry
in Princess Margaret's jewelry collection. Out of these 7 pieces have
been treated extensively in three separate webpages dedicated for this
purpose. This webpage is dedicated to the remaining three pieces in the
collection, whose names are listed below :-
1) A Pair of Antique, Coral, Seed Pearl, and Diamond
Earclips - Lot No.165
2) A Pearl Brooch/Pendant - Lot No.170
3) A Diamond, Pearl and Gem-Set Bracelet - Lot No.175
1) A Pair of Antique Coral, Seed
Pearl and Diamond Earclips
The colors and
appearance of the earclips seem to conform to the accepted mourning
colors of the period, in which they were designed
The Pair of Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Earclips is
an antique piece designed around 1870, during the mid-Victorian period,
that lasted from 1861 to 1890, a period of mourning that began with the
double tragedy faced by Queen Victoria in 1861, the death of her mother,
the Duchess Of Kent, followed by her beloved husband Prince Albert,
later in the year. The great loss suffered by the Queen, thrust her and
the entire nation into a state of mourning. During this period jewelry
designs became somber and austere, reflecting the mood of the nation.
The first year of mourning was considered a full mourning period, and
the years that followed as half-mourning periods. Black clothing and
black jewelry were worn by mourners during the first year. Black jewelry
were set with black gemstones such as black onyx, jet and vulcanite. After the
full mourning period, half mourning colors, such as grey, mauve and
purple clothing were used. Apart from onyx, jet and vulcanite, other
dark stones such as amethyst and deep-red garnets were also used in
mourning jewelry. The pair of coral, seed pearl and diamond earclips
depicted in the photograph below, also seem to reflect the mood of the
period in which they were designed. The white color of the pearls and
diamonds and the dull colors of the corals, which probably would have
been red when first mounted, seem to conform to the accepted mourning
colors of the period.
Antique Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Earclips
©
Christie's
Features of the
Antique, Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Ear-clips
Designed as circular clusters, each ear-clip has an
old mine-cut diamond at the center of the cluster, mounted on yellow
gold. The circular area at the center where the diamond is mounted is
surrounded by a layer of round or oval shaped corals. There are 16
cabochon-cut corals in this layer, and the corals are a dull pink in
color. Perhaps the corals would have had a darker red or pink color at
the time they were first mounted, and over the years faded in color,
forming the dull pink color. The layer of corals is surrounded by a
layer of round or oval shaped, white, lustrous, seed pearls, the
outermost layer of the cluster. This layer is not a continuous layer,
but a split layer with gaps in between the pearls, and broader at the
points where the pearls are mounted, imparting a wavy outline to the
layer. There are 14 seed pearls in this layer.
Pearls and corals
used in this piece of jewelry are organic gemstones produced by living
creatures
An interesting feature about this pair of earclips is
that the main gemstones mounted on them, the seed pearls and corals, are
both of organic origin, the seed pearls being produced by bivalve
mollusks and the corals produced by colonies of Anthozoan polyps
belonging to Phylum Cnidaria. Chemically too pearls and corals are
almost made of the same chemical substances, pearls of calcium carbonate
in the form of aragonite and calcite, and a protein component called
conchiolin; while corals, either predominantly of calcite as in
calcareous corals, or of conchiolin, as in conchiolin corals. Most of
the coral species used for jewelry are calcareous corals, such as
Corallium rubrum (Mediterranean red coral) and Corallium japonicum (Sea
of Japan red coral), Keratoisis profunda (bamboo coral) and Eunicella
verrucosa (sponge coral). In processing corals as gemstones, they are
first stabilized by impregnating with resins and epoxies, dyed if
necessary to enhance the color, or bleached to create white coral, and
then cut and polished. Polishing transforms the appearance of corals
from a matte-like form to a glossy finish. Being opaque they are
generally cut as cabochons with a convex surface, or cut and polished
and drilled into beads. Pearls on the other hand are almost in a
finished form, when they are recovered from the oysters, and may require
only a minimum effort, such as tumbling, to bring out their maximum
luster and brilliance.
The Sale of the
Antique Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Ear-clips
The Antique Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Ear-clips
was Lot No. 165, at the Christie's London auctions of Princess
Margaret's collection of jewelry and Faberge, held on June 13, 2006. A
pre-sale estimate of £400 to £600 was placed on the
pair of ear-clips, but it sold for an enhanced price of £6,000, ten
times more than the upper pre-sale estimate, in keeping with the
skyrocketing trends at the auctions.
2) A Pearl
Brooch/Pendant
Features of the Pearl
Brooch/Pendant
The Pearl Brooch cum Pendant, a wedding gift for the
Princess, on the occasion of her marriage to Mr. Antony Armstrong Jones
on May 6, 1960, is an elegant piece of jewelry set entirely with natural
pearls varying in size from seed pearls less than 2 mm in diameter to
pearls ranging from 2 mm to around 8 mm in diameter. The inverted
heart-shaped brooch which is 14 cm long inclusive of the tassels, is
designed as a stylized sunburst suspending five articulated tassels,
also set with seed pearls. The intricate design of the brooch is
centered around a large spherical white pearl, the largest pearl
in the entire brooch, mounted at the center. Three rows of pearls
surround this central pearl, arranged as inverted pear-shapes, with
their pointed ends directed towards the notch of the inverted
heart-shaped brooch. The upper surface of the brooch has eight curved
pear-shaped areas lined with small seed pearls, each containing three
large spherical pearls. In between these areas two large pearls are
situated, except along the median line, where there are three pearls.
Two large pear-shaped areas lined by seed pearls and each containing
five large spherical pearls are situated on either side of the notch of
the inverted heart-shaped brooch. The five articulated tassels hanging
from the lower surface of the brooch, appear to be made of seed pearl
beads and spacers.
A Pearl Brooch Pendant
©
Christie's
An estimate of the
total number of pearls on the brooch
An approximate estimate of the number of pearls on
the brooch can be made due to symmetrical nature of the design, even
though the whole design appears to be complicated.
1) Central pearl - 1, first inverted pear - 12,
second inverted pear - 18, third inverted pear - 19, fourth
discontinuous row outer to third inverted pearl - 20. Total
= 1 + 12 + 18 + 19 + 20 = 70 pearls
2) Eight curved pear-shaped areas on the upper
surface. Two smaller pear-shaped rows - 10 x 2 = 20. Six larger
pear-shaped rows - 12 x 6 = 72. Three pearls inside each pear-shaped
area - 3 x 8 = 24. Two large pearls between pear-shaped areas - 2 x 6 =
12 + 3 pearls along median line = 15. Total = 20 + 72 + 24 + 15 = 131
pearls.
3) Two inverted pear-shaped rows on either side of
the notch - 18 x 2 = 36. Five large pearls inside these areas = 5 x 2 =
10. Lowest discontinuous scroll shaped row - 14 x 2 = 28. A single large
spherical pearl inside the scroll - 1 x 2 = 2. Single pearl filling 7
gaps = 1 x 7 = 7. Total = 36 + 10 + 28 + 2 + 7 = 83 pearls
4) The tassels, central longest tassel - 12, two
medium length tassels - 10 x 2 = 20, two shortest tassels - 2 x 8 = 16.
Total = 12 + 20 + 16 = 48 pearls
Grand total = 70 + 131 + 83 + 48 = 332 pearls
large pearls = central pearl - 1, second
inverted pear - 9, third inverted pear - 17, three pearls inside each
pear-shaped area - 24, two large pearls between pear-shaped areas and
three pearls along median line - 15, four large pearls inside inverted
pear at the bottom - 4 x 2 = 8, large pearl inside the scroll - 2,
single pearl between scroll and lowest pear = 1 x 2 = 2, tassel - 5
pearls
Total number of large pearls = 1 + 9 + 17 + 24 + 15 +
8 + 2 + 2 + 5 = 83 pearls
Total number of seed pearls = 332 - 83 = 249 pearls
Thus, in the entire brooch there are approximately
332 pearls, out of which 249 are seed pearls and 83 large pearls.
Features of the
pearls on the brooch
The pearls on the brooch are of varying sizes,
ranging from the smallest seed pearls less than 2 mm in diameter, to
larger pearls ranging from 2 mm to around 8 mm in diameter, the
approximate size of the central largest pearl. There are approximately
249 seed pearls and 83 large pearls on the brooch, making a total of 332
pearls.
The pearls are mostly spherical, near-spherical or
oval in shape. The color of the pearls are yellowish-white, where white
is the body color and yellow the overtone color of the pearls. The
luster of the pearls are in keeping with their saltwater origins.
The probable source
of the pearls
Two important factors, the range in size of the
pearls, from seed pearls to large pearls of around 8 mm in diameter, and
the yellowish-white color of the pearls, give a clear indication of the
source of the pearls, which is the Persian Gulf, and the oyster in which
the pearls originated, viz. Pinctada radiata, the saltwater oyster, whose natural home is the
Persian Gulf. Pearls produced by Pinctada radiata are mainly seed
pearls, that are usually formed as clusters inside the oyster. Apart
from seed pearls Pinctada radiata also produces medium sized pearls
ranging in size from 2 mm to around 8 mm. Thus the range in size of the
pearls on the brooch, agrees with the range in size of pearls produced
by Pinctada radiata. White, cream and yellow are common body colors of
these pearls, with overtone colors of silver, pink, and cream.
Yellowish-white pearls are common among the pearls produced in the
Persian Gulf, even though the desirable silvery-white pearls are also
produced.
The Sale of the Pearl
Brooch/Pendant
At the auctions of H.R.H. Princess Margaret's jewelry
and Faberge collection, held on June 13, 2006, at the Christie's London
auction halls, the Pearl Brooch cum Pendant was assigned Lot No. 170,
and was accompanied by a laboratory report No.980094, dated March 20,
2006, from the Precious Stone Laboratory, London. The report stated that
a random sample of three pearls examined was found to be natural. A
pre-sale estimate of
£800 to £1,200 was placed on the brooch/pendant, but in keeping with the
enhanced trend shown at the auctions, attributed to the Princess'
personal popularity,
the piece sold for
£16,800 ($30,912), 14 times higher than the upper pre-sale estimate.
3) A Diamond, Pearl
and Gem-Set Bracelet
Historic Provenance
of the Bracelet
The bracelet was among the pieces in Princess
Margaret's collection, which she received as gifts from her grandmother,
Queen Mary, the Queen Consort of King George V. Other important pieces
of jewelry which she received from Queen Mary, included the Five-Row Art
Deo Pearl and Diamond Necklace, as a gift for her 18th birthday; an Art
Deco Sapphire and Diamond Bar Brooch, as a gift on her confirmation day;
and the Lady Mount Stephen Diamond Rivière,
which Queen Mary wore at her son, King George VI's coronation.
The Diamond, Pearl and Gem-set Bracelet, has a
historical provenance, probably dating back to the 19th-century. The
bracelet was actually given by His Majesty King George V, to
his Queen Consort, Her Majesty Queen Mary, as a Christmas gift, in the
year 1929. King George V, acquired this historic piece from the two
daughters of Russia's Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who inherited
their mother's jewelry collection after her death in Denmark in 1928.
When Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, the Empress consort of Czar
Alexander III (reign 1881-1894), escaped the Russian revolution in 1919,
with her surviving family members, by boarding the British ship HMS
Marlborough, she carried her jewelry with her. She stayed in London for
a short period as guest of her sister Queen Alexandra, Queen consort of
King Edward VII ( reign 1901-1910) and her nephew King George V.
Subsequently she returned to Denmark, her native land, where she chose
her former holiday villa, Hvidore, near Copenhagen, as her permanent
home. She died on October 13, 1928, at Hvidore, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
After Empress Maria Feodorovna's death, Queen Mary acquired most of her
jewels, from her two daughters in 1929. It was during this period in
1929, King George V, purchased the Diamond, Pearl and Gem-set Bracelet,
from Empress Maria Feodorovna's daughters, and presented it as a
Christmas gift to Queen Mary in 1929.
Features of the
Bracelet
The bracelet consists of a line of collet-set old
mine-cut diamonds, interspersed by a single large pearl, and a single
cabochon-cut ruby and blue sapphire of almost the same size and shape,
on either side of the pearl. The single, large, button-shaped, white
pearl is the centerpiece of the bracelet, placed exactly in the center,
with 15 round, old mine-cut diamonds on either side. The cabochon-cut
red ruby and blue sapphire are mounted at equal distances on either side
of the central pearl, the gap between the pearl and the colored
gemstones being occupied by 3 diamonds on either side. Thus the distance
between the colored gemstones and the ends of the bracelet, are occupied
by 12 diamonds, on either side. The length of the bracelet is 16.2 cm.
Diamond, Pearl and Gem-set Bracelet
©
Christie's
Sale of the Diamond, Pearl and Gem-set
Bracelet
The Diamond, Pearl and Gem-set Bracelet, was Lot
No.175, at Christie's London sale of Princess Margaret's collection of
jewelry and Faberge held on June 13, 2006. The bracelet was accompanied
by a report, bearing No.980234, dated April 3, 2006, issued by the
Precious Stone Laboratory, London, confirming that the central single
pearl on the bracelet was a natural pearl. A pre-sale estimate of
£4,000 to £6,000 was placed on the bracelet,
considerably higher than most other pieces, reflecting the value of the
diamonds on it. However, the bracelet was sold for the much enhanced
price of £67,200 ($123,648), eleven times higher than the upper pre-sale
estimate, in keeping with the trend shown at the auctions.
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
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2) Princess
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3) Cultured
Pearl Jabot-Pin & Coral and Cultured Pearl Bracelet, Princess Margaret's
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4) Cultured
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5) Grey
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7) Natural
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External Links :-
1)
Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.165 - A Pair of Antique
Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Ear-clips.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
2)
Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.170 - A Pearl
Brooch/Pendant. www.christies.com/lotfinder
3) Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.175
- A Diamond, Pearl and Gem-Set Bracelet. www.christies.com/lotfinder
References :-
1)
Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.165 - A Pair of Antique
Coral, Seed Pearl and Diamond Ear-clips. www.christies.com/lotfinder
2)
Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.170 - A Pearl
Brooch/Pendant. www.christies.com/lotfinder
3) Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.175
- A Diamond, Pearl and Gem-Set Bracelet. www.christies.com/lotfinder
4) Victorian Jewelry Period -
History of the usage of plant and animal motifs in jewelry designs - The
Tarantula Brooch. www.internetstones.com
5) A Coral and Cultured Pearl Bracelet -
Cultured Pearl
Jabot-Pin & Coral and Cultured Pearl Bracelet, Princess Margaret's
Jewelry Collection.www.internetstones.com
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