| |
Princess Margaret's
Collection of Natural Pearl Jewelry
Out of around 25 pieces of pearl jewelry in Princess
Margaret's jewelry collection, around 15 pieces were incorporated with
cultured pearls. The remaining 10 pieces were incorporated with natural
pearls. The following is a list of the 10 pieces of natural pearl
jewelry in the collection.
1)
A FRESHWATER PEARL AND DIAMOND BROOCH, BY
JOHN DONALD - Lot 48.
2)
AN ANTIQUE ENAMEL AND SEED PEARL RING -
Lot 88
3)
AN ANTIQUE GARNET AND SEED PEARL BROOCH
- Lot 89
4)
A PEARL AND GEM-SET RING - Lot 91
5)
A SEED PEARL AND RUBY RING -
Lot 96
6)
A PEARL AND DIAMOND NECKLACE - Lot
161
7)
GEORGE III SEED PEARL AND DIAMOND RING -
Lot 162
8)
A PAIR OF ANTIQUE CORAL, SEED PEARL AND
DIAMOND EARCLIPS -
Lot 165
9)
A PEARL BROOCH/PENDANT -
Lot 170
10)
A DIAMOND, PEARL AND GEM-SET BRACELET -
Lot 175
1) A Freshwater Pearl and Diamond
Brooch - by John Donald - Lot 48
Features of the John
Donald Brooch
The design of the Freshwater Pearl and Diamond Brooch
is an abstract design, characteristic of the novel design features
introduced by John Donald, who revolutionized traditional British
jewelry designing in the 1960s and 1970s. The center of the brooch is
occupied by an openwork cluster of freshwater pearls and brilliant-cut
diamonds. There are 20 freshwater pearls and 10 brilliant-cut diamonds
in the cluster. The cluster of pearls and diamonds is surrounded by an
18-carat gold, textured border radiating square tubes. The brooch that
was designed around the year 1970, carries English hallmarks for
18-carat gold.
Designer John Donald who had the privilege of
receiving royal patronage for his novel jewelry creations in the 1960s,
invited Lord Snowdon and his wife H.R.H. Princess Margaret for the
opening ceremony of his new John Donald shop, a joint venture with Tecla
Pearls, known as "John Donald with Tecla" on Old Bond Street in 1970. On
this occasion Lord Snowdon declared open the shop, and John Donald
presented this freshwater pearl and diamond brooch, as a gift to H.R.H.
Princess Margaret, in appreciation of her kind gesture in gracing the
occasion.
Freshwater Pearl and Diamond Brooch by John Donald
©
Christie's
Features of the
freshwater pearls in the brooch
The 20 freshwater pearls on the brooch are natural
pearls that originated in freshwater mussels. The pearls are of varying
sizes and shapes. Three pearls are large, four are medium-sized and the
remaining 13 are small pearls. The shape of the pearls are round,
near-round, button, oval and baroque. There is no pattern in the
arrangement of the pearls. The arrangement is haphazard. This type of
haphazard arrangement is characteristic of the designs created by John
Donald. The color of the pearls is silvery-white. The luster and orient
of the pearls is also characteristic of freshwater pearls, which is not
as high as saltwater pearls.
The probable source
of the freshwater pearls
The most probable source of the freshwater
pearls in the brooch, is the United Kingdom itself, Scotland, being the most ancient
source of freshwater pearls in the world, that tempted Julius Caesar to
invade Britain in the year 55 B.C. The pearls originated in the
freshwater mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, that usually inhabited
the fast flowing rivers and streams of Scotland, and also to some extent
England, Wales and Ireland. The River Tay, the longest river in
Scotland, was one of the main habitats of the freshwater mussel, that
produced large quantities of freshwater pearls over the centuries. The
mussels lie buried or partially buried in coarse sand and fine gravel,
with their siphons exposed. Such fast-flowing rivers provide abundant
supplies of oxygen and suspended food particles for the successful
growth of the mussels. These mussels that live for over a hundred years,
can grow to a maximum length of 12-15 cm, reaching maturity after 10-15
years, when the length reaches 6-7 cm. For the successful completion of
their life cycles, these mussels need a fish host, which is usually the
Atlantic salmon, the brown trout or sea trout.
The history of
exploitation of freshwater mussels in Britain, and the probable period
in which the pearls in John Donald's brooch were discovered
The history of exploitation of the freshwater mussel
Margaritifera margaritifera dates back to the pre-Roman period over
2,000 years ago. As mentioned earlier, during the Roman period, Julius
Caesar invaded Britain in 55 B.C. mainly to take control of the trade in
Scottish freshwater pearls, as in the Roman empire, gold together with
pearls, underpinned the Roman monetary system. During the medieval
period, in the 12th-century, Scottish freshwater pearls appeared in
large quantities in the pearl markets of Europe, where there was a great
demand for such pearls. In the 16th-century the commercial exploitation
of freshwater mussels turned into a major industry in Britain, with
mussels being exploited not only in Scotland, but also England, Wales
and Ireland. During this period the government appointed River Bailiffs
to supervise the exploitation, and to make sure that all valuable pearls
reached the King's treasury. Thus, during this period Scottish pearls of
exceptional quality entered the crown jewels of both England and
Scotland. The commercial exploitation of freshwater mussels continued
until the 19th-century, but soon overexploitation made the fishery
unsustainable and was totally abandoned. However, small scale pearl
fishery, by individual pearl divers, and gypsies in Britain and Ireland,
continued well into the 20th-century, until a total ban was imposed on
pearl fishing in 1998. It appears that most of the freshwater pearls in
John Donald's brooch were most probably discovered in Scotland during
this period of small scale pearl fishery, that lasted until 1998.
Sale of the John
Donald Brooch
The John Donald Brooch, which was Lot No.48, at the
Christie's historic London sale of June 13, 2006 - in which nearly 200
pieces of jewelry and Faberge from the collection of H.R.H. Princess
Margaret was put up for sale by her children - sold for
£15,600 ($28,704), which was almost 20 times higher
than the upper pre-sale estimate of £800. The enhanced price realized
was in keeping with the skyrocketing trend shown at the auction,
beginning right from Lot No.1, attributed to what was known as the
"Princess' Premium" generated by her popularity, as well as royal
provenance.
2) An Antique Enamel and Seed Pearl
Ring - Lot 88
Features of the
Enamel and Seed Pearl Ring
The antique ring made of 18-carat gold, has a ring
size "M" which is equivalent to USA size 6, with a diameter of 16.51 mm
and circumference of 51.5 mm. Birmingham hallmarks for 18-carat gold and
the year 1891, the year of hallmarking, and probably the year of
designing the ring, appears on the inside of the ring. Thus, the ring
had been designed in the late Victorian period (1890-1901) or the Art
Nouveau period in France (1890-1915).The surface of the ring is
bezel-set with seed pearls, surrounded by a rim of metal, and the gaps coated with black enamel. There
are nine seed pearls mounted on the ring. Except for the central seed
pearl which is slightly larger, all other seed pearls are small. The
seed pearls are white in color and have the luster and orient of natural
saltwater pearls. The enamel and seed pearl ring is accompanied by a
black leather case, stamped with the crest of the Girl Guides. Princess
Margaret acquired membership of both the Brownies and Girl Guides, and
in 1965 became the President of the Girl Guides Association. Thus, in
all probability the Enamel and Seed Pearl Ring, was a gift given by the
Girl Guides Association, to honor one of their presidents. It was
because of this reason it was stated in the auction catalogue, that
proceeds from this lot will be donated to charity.
An Antique Enamel and Seed Pearl
Ring
©
Christie's
Source of the seed pearls
The Enamel and Seed Pearl Ring was designed in 1891.
Around this period the main natural pearl sources in the world was the
Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mannar, the natural habitat of Pinctada
radiata, the most prolific pearl producing oyster in the world. This
species of pearl oyster also produced significant quantities of seed
pearls, that usually occurred in clusters inside the pearl oysters. The
millions of seed pearls incorporated in the renowned Pearl Carpet of
Baroda, are all believed to have originated in the Persian Gulf. Large
quantities of seed pearls were also produced in the Gulf of Mannar.
Thus, the seed pearls incorporated on the ring could have originated
either in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Mannar.
Sale of the Enamel
and Seed Pearl Ring
The Antique Enamel and Seed Pearl Ring, was Lot No.88
at the Christie's London Sale of Princess Margaret's collection of
jewelry and Faberge, held on June 13, 2006. A pre-sale estimate of
£100 to £150 was placed on the ring. However, in
keeping with the enhanced prices recorded for the lots of the auction,
the ring sold for £6,600 ($12,144), forty-four times higher than the
upper pre-sale estimate. The proceeds from this lot was donated to
charity, as stated in the catalogue.
3) An Antique Garnet
and Seed Pearl Brooch - Lot 89
When was the Antique
Garnet and Seed Pearl Brooch designed ?
The Antique Garnet and Seed Pearl Brooch was designed
around the year 1860. However, the use of the deep-red garnets on the
brooch, show clearly that it belongs to the mid-Victorian Period
(1861-1890), that was marked by a double tragedy, the death of Queen
Victoria's mother, followed by the death of her husband Prince Albert in
the year 1861, that thrust the Queen and the entire nation into a state
of mourning. During the first year of mourning in 1862, full mourning
black clothing and black jewelry were worn by the mourners. After the
first year of mourning, in 1863, half-mourning colors such as grey,
mauve and purples were used for clothing, and dark stones, such as onyx,
jet, vulcanite, amethyst and deep-red garnets were used in mourning
jewelry. Thus, the Antique Garnet and Seed Pearl Brooch, is a piece of
half-mourning jewelry, designed in 1863 or afterwards, in the
mid-Victorian period.
An Antique Garnet and
Seed Pearl Brooch
©
Christie's
Features of the Antique Garnet and
Seed Pearl Brooch - A half-mourning piece of jewelry
There are three deep-red cabochon-cut garnets on the
brooch. Two of these garnets that lie horizontally are oval-shaped, and
almost of the same size. They are held together by a crossover seed
pearl motif at the base, and two claws at the other end. The X-shaped
motif has a large, round, white, seed pearl at the intersection, and
four progressively smaller, round, white, seed pearls on the four arms,
making a total of 17 seed pearls. The third cabochon-cut, deep-red
garnet, is pear-shaped or drop-shaped, and suspended as a pendant from
below the crossover seed pearl motif. The brooch has a width of 4.2 cm.
There is a locket compartment on the reverse of the brooch, a feature
common in pieces of jewelry of this period, such as pendants, and
brooches.
The source of the
seed pearls
The Garnet and Seed Pearl Brooch was designed in the
year 1863 or afterwards, in the mid-Victorian period. Around this time
the only source of seed pearls in the world was the Persian Gulf and the
Gulf of Mannar, produced by the saltwater oyster, Pinctada radiata, a
prolific pearl producer of not only medium sized pearls, varying in size
from 2 to 8 mm, but also significant quantities of seed pearls that were
less than 2 mm in diameter. The use of seed pearls in jewelry became
very popular during the early-Victorian period, also known as the
Romantic Period, that extended from 1837 to 1860, covering the period of
Queen Victoria's youth, courtship, marriage, and early family life,
until the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert in 1861. The seed
pearls used in jewelry of this period came from either the Persian Gulf,
the Red Sea or the Gulf of Mannar.
The sale of the
Antique Garnet and Seed Pearl Brooch
The Antique Garnet and Seed Pearl Brooch, was Lot
No.89, at the Christie's London sale of Princess Margaret's collection
of jewelry and Faberge, held on June 13, 2006. A pre-sale estimate of
£500 to £700 was placed on the brooch. However, the
brooch recorded an enhanced price of £9,600 ($17,664), in keeping with
the record high prices realized for the other lots in the auctions. This
was almost 14 times higher than the upper pre-sale estimate of £700.
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 :-
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
4) Cultured
Pearl Necklace and Ear clips from Princess Margaret's Collection
5) Grey
Cultured Pearl Bermuda Cedar Brooch
6)
Cultured Pearl , Turquoise and Diamond Earclips
External Links :-
1) Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.48 -
A Freshwater Pearl And Diamond Brooch, By John Donald.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
References :-
1) Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.48 -
A Freshwater Pearl And Diamond Brooch, By John Donald. www.christies.com/lotfinder
2) Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.88 -
An Antique Enamel And Seed Pearl Ring. www.christies.com/lotfinder
3) Christie's Sale 7335 - Sale Catalogue, Lot No.89 -
An Antique Garnet And Seed Pearl Brooch.
www.christies.com/lotfinder
4) History of the usage of plant and animal motifs in
jewelry designs - Tarantula Brooch. www.internetstones.com
|
|
Sign up
for our news letter
|
|
