A necklace of Queen Mary of Teck, wife of George V, was sold at a Phillips auction in Geneva. It was sold for 327,000 pounds and brought back to the fore the unusual story behind its design.
The piece of jewelry that changed hands was a replica of Queen Victoria's Gold Jubilee necklace, which Mary had ordered in 1928.
The story of the original jewel begins in 1887, when a committee of aristocratic women, named the «Women’s Jubilee Offering,» raised money to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Victoria’s reign. With her consent, it was decided to fund a horse statue of Prince Albert in Windsor Great Park.
By March 1888, contributions had exceeded £84,000. Initially, the Queen agreed to allocate £70,000 to the St Katherine’s Fund for Nurses, a body supporting nursing care that she had chosen herself. However, when some members of the committee proposed using part of the money for a personal gift for Victoria, she agreed.
Other participants reacted by insisting that the commitment to donate the amount to charity should be kept.
Among the proposals was a diamond emblem that would symbolize the queen's connection to the nursing fund. Victoria rejected it, stating that if it were offered to her, she would immediately exchange it for another jewel. Eventually, it was decided to allocate 5,000 pounds for a personal jewel and the remaining money to be donated to a charitable cause.
The necklace was made by the house of Carrington & Co. and was presented to Victoria on July 30, 1888. It became one of her favorites and was later bequeathed to the Crown. She also wore it on many of her official occasions. Among others, in November 1952, at the first ceremony to inaugurate the work of Parliament after her accession to the throne.
In 1928, Queen Mary commissioned the London house of Hennell to create a replica for her personal collection. Her necklace retained the basic features of the historical design, but had significant differences in materials and details. It was made of platinum and cultured pearls, while the original had natural pearls. Additionally, the crown that adorned Victoria’s central motif was omitted. Another replica was created in the 1960s for Princess Alexandra of Kent.
For Mary, the jewels were part of the public image of the monarchy, but also evidence of its history. In addition to collecting and ordering new creations, she was particularly interested in the origin and preservation of the older royal jewels.
During the Second World War, it was hosted at Badminton House in Gloucestershire by her niece, Mary Somerset. Later she gifted the necklace to her as a thank you for the hospitality. The Duchess kept it until 1986, when she sold it a year before her death. Since then it has passed through private collections until the recent auction in Geneva.
Source: skai.gr
