Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Jewels Sale took place in Geneva on Wednesday 13th November. This historic sale presented a spectacular selection of historic fine jewellery, with provenance relating to several royal and noble families, including Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria and his family, Countess Mona Bismarcak, King Umberto II of Italy, the Ducal House of Bavaria and the Princely Thurn und Taxis family. Featuring 174 lots, this auction featured a stunning selection of tiaras, necklaces, rings, suites, cufflinks, tie pins, cigarette cases, seals, pocket watches and many more jewels with illustrious provenance.
The Anglesey Necklace
Designed as a pair of old cushion-shaped diamond tassels connected by three rows of collet-set old cushion-shaped and circular-cut diamonds, length approximately 670mm, fitted case.
Undoubtedly the most anticipated lot of the sale was the Anglesey Necklace. This highly important and historic jewel is an incredibly rare survivor of the Georgian court, set with a breathtaking 300 carats of diamonds and crafted with hugely innovative techniques for the time. An outstanding jewel to be in private hands, this piece has been known as the Anglesey Necklace, owned by the Paget family for centuries, thence a private collector, and offered for auction as the centrepiece to this historical sale. Estimated at 1,600,000 – 2,200,000 CHF (£1.4 to 1.9 million), this significant Georgian necklace finally sold at 3,550,000 CHF (£3,154,246.00).
Formerly in the collection of the Marquess of Anglesey, the Anglesey Necklace has featured in two important jewellery exhibitions of the 20th century, first in 1959 as part of The Ageless Diamond Loan exhibition in London, sitting alongside many famous Royal and aristocratic diamond jewels including the Williamson Pink Diamond and the brooch set with the Cullinan III and IV diamonds belonging to Queen Elizabeth II. Twenty years later in 1979, the necklace featured in the American Museum of Natural History’s Bicentennial Exhibition.
A Marie Antoinette Connection? The lore of the Anglesey Necklace
The lore surrounding this jewel carried a huge significance and of course an impact on the subsequent value. Although there is no formal or documented evidence of a connection between the Anglesey necklace and the jewel that sparked the French Revolution, there are of course compelling factors that could plausibly link the two.
The sheer grandeur and scale of this piece narrows down the few noble ladies who could have owned this jewel. Set with nearly 300 carats of rare, Golconda diamonds (the South African mines were not discovered until 1867) and encased within unconventional, innovative and cutting-edge open back settings to allow the full radiance of these valuable stones.
There are no documents detailing this piece in the collection of the Paget family until the later part of the 19th century. From its creation in the late 18th century, this is a monumental jewel to not be featured in inventories and documents of the time. As Sotheby’s point out,
“it is unclear exactly how the Paget family came in possession of this diamond jewel, a link to the first Marquess seems plausible given its date.”
In 1785, a diamond necklace created for Marie Antoinette was stolen in Paris. Records show that six months later, a London jeweller William Gray purchased 300 diamonds from the Marie Antoinette necklace totalling 600 stones. Stylistically, the tassels on the Anglesey necklace and the sketches of Marie Antoinettes necklaces do appear incredibly similar, which adds to this compelling tale.
More recently, in American-born British conservative politician and society figure, Sir Henry “Chips” Channon’s diary published in 2022, there is reference to this seeming connection. He mentions a part of Queen Marie Antoinette’s infamous necklace,
“at least two ropes of it, the rest, according to history, was broken up before the French Revolution but I believe the Anglesey tassels, which Marjorie sometimes wears, are a part of it.”
Sir Cecil Beaton photographed the Anglesey Necklace, as it was then known, being worn as a négligé by the glamorous and sophisticated Marjorie Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, during George VI’s coronation 1937. The necklace was also worn at Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
Irrespective of the alleged connection to the French Revolution, the Anglesey Necklace is a rare survivor of an incredibly opulent Georgian Court. Designed to be worn in many ways, knotted at the neck, worn as a négligé, draped over the back, or even as a belt, this superb diamond necklace is without a doubt “one of the most outstanding Georgian jewels” (Andres White Correal – Head of Royal and Noble Jewels, Chairman, Sotheby’s Jewellery), and a historic result at auction for jewellery of the period.
To find out more about our jewellery valuation service by calling us on 01883 722736 or emailing [email protected]
Liz worked in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter for one of the UK’s leading regional jewellery auction houses whilst completing her FGA and DGA qualifications from the Gem-A, achieving top marks in each.