This has been quite the year for Jewellery Exhibitions in London, and after the Cartier Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the ‘Edwardians: Age of Elegance’ Exhibition at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, magnificent Jewels from the British Royal Family and Aristocracy, Imperial France, Romanov Russia, and the Qatar Royal Family’s Al Thani Collection are on display in the landmark Brooch Exhibition at Wartski in London this week!
No pictures were allowed at the exhibition. Since the exhibition is still ongoing, we are only sharing the images of just some brooches at the request and with the permission of Wartski, though we are graciously allowed to describe all the Royal and Noble Jewels on loan!
Queen Camilla’s Diamond True Lover’s Knot Brooch, c.1890.
By Gracious Permission of Her Majesty The Queen
An openwork gold mounted brooch in the form of a ‘true lover’s knot’ entirely set with brilliant diamonds, this Brooch was notably worn by Queen Camilla on the day after the late Queen’s death.
Gloucester Diamond and Pink Topaz Brooch, c. 1830.
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and the Duchess of Gloucester
A Pink Topaz and Diamond Brooch is on loan from the Duke and the Duchess of Gloucester, and originally belonged to Queen Mary’s grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse Kassel, later Duchess of Cambridge.
Princess Louise’s Opal and Diamond Brooch, c. 1871.
Private Collection
An Opal and Diamond Brooch formed part of a suite given by Queen Victoria to her daughter Princess Louise on her wedding to the Duke of Argyll in 1871. This is the first time that the Brooch has been publicly seen in decades, on loan from private owner.
Empress Josephine’s Ruby and Diamond Traine de Corsage, Paris, c.1809.
Victoria & Albert Museum, on loan from a Private Collection
This magnificent Ruby and Diamond Traine de Corsage attributed to the Imperial jeweller Nitot originated from the collection of Empress Josephine and is on loan from the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Empress Eugénie’s Mellerio Peacock Feather Brooch, Paris, 1868
Collection Mellerio
A magnificent Mellerio Peacock Feather Brooch was commissioned by Empress Eugénie after the Exposition Universelle of 1867, and is among the jewels we saw on our visit to Mellerio in Paris earlier this year.
Empress Eugénie’s Fossin Clover Brooch. Paris, 1853.
Paris, Chaumet Collection
This striking three-leaf Clover Brooch decorated with vivid green guilloché enamel bordered with diamonds was commissioned by Empress Eugénie in 1853, which echoed an emerald-set clover leaf brooch that the Emperor had given the Empress.
Princess Mathilde Bonaparte’s Mellerio Diamond Rose Brooch. Paris. 1864.
The Al Thani Collection
One of the most spectacular jewels on display is Princess Mathilde Bonaparte’s legendary Mellerio Diamond Rose Brooch, which was sold after her death by Cartier to Grace Vanderbilt and later belonged to Fred Leighton but is currently on loan from the Al Thani Collection, and is set to go on display in Paris later this year.
Wartski, London
Murat Fossin Butterfly Brooch. Paris, 1850.
Wartski
This magnificent Fossin Butterfly Brooch was formerly in the collection of Princesse Salomé Murat (1926-2016), and is now in the Wartski Collection.
Private collection, courtesy of Wartski
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s Fabergé Aquamarine and Diamond Brooch, St. Petersburg, 1894.
Private Collection
This magnificent Fabergé Aquamarine and Diamond Brooch created by the famed August Holmström in 1894, was a gift from the Tsarevich Nicholas to his fiancee, Princess Alex of Hesse, and was among the jewels taken into exile in Tobolsk in 1917, and hidden with nuns until being discovered by the Soviets in the 1930s and sold off. The Imperial Provenance was only revealed at a Wartski exhibition in 2006.
Private collection, courtesy of Wartski
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s Fabergé Topaz and Diamond Brooch, St. Petersburg, 1894.
Private Collection
Another gift from Tsarevich Nicholas to Princess Alex of Hesse in 1894, and among the jewels taken into exile in Tobolsk in 1917 which were found in the 1930s, the Topaz and Diamond Brooch has passed through several owners but the Imperial Provenance has only been confirmed for the first time at this exhibition.
Private Collection, courtesy of Albion Art Jewellery Institute
Imperial Sapphire and Diamond Brooches. St. Petersburg, c. 1750.
Private Collection, courtesy of Albion Art Jewellery Institute
Two Imperial Sapphire and Diamond Brooches from a set of twenty made for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna which formed part of the Russian Crown Jewels and were sold at auction at Christie’s in London in 1927.
Tsarina Marie Feodorovna’s Fabergé Aquamarine and Diamond Brooch. St. Petersburg, c.1911.
Private Collection
A Fabergé Aquamarine and Diamond Brooch, which was purchased by the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna on 11 March 1911 for 190 roubles .
Private Collection, courtesy of Albion Art Jewellery Institute
Russian Imperial Diamond-set Brooches. S. Petersburg, c. 1740-1760.
Private Collection, courtesy of Albion Art Jewellery Institute
A pair of Russian Imperial Diamond-set Brooches worn by Empress Elizabeth and Catherine the Great once formed part of the Russian Crown Jewels and were also auctioned in 1927.
Fabergé Amethyst and Diamond Brooch. St. Petersburg, c.1904.
Private Collection
A Fabergé Amethyst and Diamond Brooch presumably given by Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna to mark their twentieth wedding anniversary in 1904, which was left to her sister Princess Victoria, thence by descent.
Fabergé Aquamarine and Diamond Brooch. St. Petersburg, 1904.
Private Collection
A Fabergé Aquamarine and Diamond Brooch formerly in the collection of H.R.H. Princess Heinrich of Prussia, née Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.
Private collection, courtesy of Wartski
Bagration Fossin Diamond Brooch. Paris, c.1830.
Private Collection
A Fossin Diamond Brooch which belonged to Princess Katarina Pawlowna Bagration, Countess Skavronsky which remained with family descendants until the 1990s. It is a rare survival of diamond-set Parisian jewellery of the earliest decades of the 19th century by the acknowledged master of gem-set botanical studies.
Duchess of Rutlan’s Peacock Brooch. Paris, c. 1867.
Her Grace The Duchess of Rutland
A magnificent Gem-set and Diamond Peacock Brooch is a family heirloom on loan from the Duchess of Rutland, who recently wore it for the Wedding of her daughter, Lady Violet, to Viscount Garnock.
Private collection, courtesy of Wartski
Lady Mary Augusta Grimston’s Turquoise Eagle Brooch. English, c.1839-40.
Private Collection
A Turquoise Eagle Brooch was presented to Lady Mary Augusta Grimston as train-bearer to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840, which Queen Victoria recorded in her Journal:
I gave all the Train bearers a small eagle as a brooch of turquoise. I then returned to Buckingham Palace alone with (my precious) Albert; they cheered us really most warmly and heartily; the crowd was immense’
Amethyst and Diamond Brooch. English, c.1905-10.
Private Collection
An Amethyst and Diamond Presentation Brooch, the monogram of two interlocking A’ initials was the cypher of Queen Alexandra, and indicates that the jewel was a presentation gift made by her.
Wartski, London
A Fabergé Chrysoprase and Diamond-set Brooch. St. Petersburg, c. 1906.
Wartski
This Fabergé Chrysoprase and Diamond Brooch was owned by Queen Olga of Greece and acquired by Baron Basile de Lemmerman from Queen Olga’s youngest son, Prince Christopher, around 1935-1936. It was subsequently sold at Parke Bernet, New York on 11th December 1952, lot 80.
King William IV and Queen Adelaide’s Bracelet Clasps/Brooches. London. c. 1834-37.
Private Collection
The brooches, which convert to bracelet clasps, were given by William IV and Queen Adelaide to Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, the long-term companion of King George IV who had been secretly married to him in 1785. They are a rare testimony to the relationship between the Royal Family and Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert during the latter three years of her life.
Four Diamond Floral Brooches
National Trust Collections, Calke Abbey
A set of Four Diamond Floral Brooches associated with Lady Caroline Manners married to Sir Henry Harpur, 5th Bart, of Calke Abbey, Co. Derby, in 1734. These historic brooches are exquisite examples of the floral diamond-set jewellery made in the 18th century and this is the first time these works have left Calke Abbey after they were accepted in lieu of tax by H.M Government and transferred to the National Trust in 1995.
Countess Mountbatten’s Diamond Brooch. English, mid-20th century.
Private Collection
A Diamond Wave Brooch designed by Earl Mountbatten of Burma as a gift for his daughter Patricia, later 2nd Countess Mountbatten, which was was acquired by Wartski at Auction in 2021 but is no longer in their collection.
Viscountess Galway’s Diamond Brooch. English. c. 1840.
Private Collection
A Diamond Brooch with a Rose, Shamrock, and Thistle belonged to Catherine Elizabeth, Viscountess Galway and family tradition holds that the brooch was a gift from Queen Victoria to the Viscountess.
‘From Function to Fantasy: The Brooch’ is on display at Wartski in London everyday until October 12th, from 10:30am to 5:00pm. Entry is free but a £10 catalogue can be acquired in aid of The King’s Trust.
Cartier Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London
‘Edwardians: Age of Elegance’
