The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Countess of Craven’s Rubies Sold

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Christie’s

Last week, we talked about the jewels once owned by the late Lady Granard, several of which were up for sale at Christie’s. That same sale also included numerous other intriguing pieces of jewelry, including this diamond and ruby necklace — which may particularly fascinating royal legacy.

Christie’s

The necklace is described in the lot notes from Christie’s as a “mid-19th century ruby and diamond necklace,” made of “oval-shaped rubies, old-cut diamonds, silver and gold.” They date the necklace to the 1850s, and they note that it was offered for sale in the November 12 auction by “a European family.”

Cornelia, Countess of Craven, ca. 1914 (Grand Ladies Site)

The necklace has had at least one illustrious former owner. Cornelia, Countess of Craven, received the necklace from her parents. Like Beatrice Granard, Cornelia was one of the buccaneers, a group of wealthy American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy at the turn of the twentieth-century. Cornelia’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Martin of New York, who were famous for throwing the lavish Bradley-Martin Ball at the Waldorf in 1898. Five years earlier, in 1893, sixteen-year-old Cornelia had married the 4th Earl of Craven and become Countess of Craven.

Christie’s

The lot notes also include a nugget of interesting information. In describing the attire worn by Cornelia’s mother, Mrs. Bradley Martin, to the famous 1898 ball, Christie’s notes that she wore “a fabulous ruby and diamond necklace, rumoured to have been the one that previously belonged to Madame Royale, Duchess of Angoulême.”

Replicas of the original Nitot ruby jewels made for Empress Marie Louise, recently displayed in Monaco (and shared with us by Royal Warren(t), who owns the copyright to this image!)

The Duchess of Angoulême’s parure of ruby jewels dated to 1816, but the rubies themselves had previously been set in a suite of jewels that belonged to another French royal woman: Empress Marie Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Her ruby parure was made for her by Nitot, and the stones were later reused by Bapst to create a parure for the Duchess of Angoulême (who was the only surviving child of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette). We recently discussed the Nitot parure here on the site — the photograph above showcases garnet-set replicas of the original jewels.

Madame Royale: Princess Marie Therese of France, Duchess of Angouleme by Caminade, 1827 (Wikimedia Commons)

The Angoulême rubies stayed in France even after the Duchess went into exile, and they were later worn by Empress Eugenie. Along with the rest of the crown jewels, the rubies were sold at auction in 1887. There’s no clear record of where they ended up, but we know that part of the set — the ruby tiara — was later owned by none other than Cornelia, Countess of Craven. Did the necklace end up with her, too? We don’t know whether the Angoulême necklace and the Bradley-Martin Ball necklace and Cornelia Craven’s necklace were all versions of the same piece of jewelry — or at least set with the same gemstones — but the lot notes certainly seem to want us to entertain the possibility.

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The Angoulême ruby tiara was famously auctioned at Sotheby’s in 1961 with the rest of Cornelia Craven’s jewelry, following her death earlier that year. (The sale was an enormous one — one paper described it as “one of the biggest jewel sales ever held in Britain.”) The tiara was described as having belonged to the Empress Eugenie, and it sold for $92,000. The ruby and diamond bracelets from the Angoulême parure (also owned by Cornelia) were auctioned in the same sale as well; today, they’re in the Louvre. But the necklace, which we know was also sold in that same auction, was not described as coming from Empress Eugenie’s collection, which makes me think it was more likely a separate piece, not originally associated with the Angoulême rubies at all.

Christie’s

Anyway, here’s what we know for sure: this ruby necklace was sold at Sotheby’s in 1961, following Cornelia Craven’s death — and it was sold again last week, on November 12 at Christie’s in Geneva. Auction estimates for the piece this time around were set at 350,000-550,000 Swiss francs (which are currently roughly equivalent to US dollars). When the hammer fell, the necklace brought home even more money than anticipated, selling for 615,000 Swiss francs (including the buyer’s premium).

Lady Granard’s Diamonds

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Christie’s

Today in Geneva, Christie’s will auction an impressive collection of jewels that belonged to an intriguing British aristocrat. Here’s a closer look at the jewels that once belonged to Beatrice Forbes, Countess of Granard.

Lady Granard, ca. 1910 (Bain News Service/Wikimedia Commons)

Born Jane Beatrice Mills in Newport, Rhode Island, Lady Granard was one of the group of American heiresses known as “the Buccaneers.” At the turn of the twentieth-century, the fortunes of the Buccaneers helped shore up the estates and lifestyles of the British aristocrats who married them. Beatrice was twenty-five when she married Bernard Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard in 1909. Bernard was involved in both British and Irish politics, and his influence brought him into the royal household; he served as Master of the Horse to Kings Edward VII and George V.

Beatrice came from an equestrian family as well. Her father, the financier Ogden Mills, bred horses at their estate, and her sister and brother-in-law established one of the most important racing operations in America. She inherited her father’s stable of horses when he died in 1929, and her horses subsequently won some of the most prestigious races in Europe.

Christie’s

Beatrice’s life spanned from the late Victorian era all the way to the 1970s, and her jewelry collection reflected the shifting tastes that spanned that period. The first lot in the auction is this pair of diamond and gold bracelets from Boucheron, which can also be linked together and worn as a necklace. The pair are expected to bring between $25,000-35,000 USD.

Christie’s

These sleek diamond brooches were made in France in the 1930s, and their design reflects the Art Deco style prominent during that era. All three brooches feature circular and baguette-cut diamonds set in platinum and gold. The trio is estimated to sell for between $15,000-20,000 USD.

Christie’s

This stunning emerald and diamond ring, made of platinum and gold, is a size seven, for those who might be looking for a Cinderella-esque jewelry moment!

Christie’s

Here’s a closer look at the impressive cabochon emerald set in the ring. The ring’s auction estimate is set between $10,000-15,000 USD.

Christie’s

These diamond and pearl earrings were made in the 1960s, near the end of Beatrice’s life. They’re some of the most affordable jewels in the auction (expected to bring between $8,000-12,000 USD), primarily because the pearl drops are cultured.

Christie’s

The auction also features this mid-century diamond bracelet, made in France in the 1950s and typical of the designs of that decade. The bracelet features circular and baguette-cut diamonds set in platinum and gold, and it’s anticipated to sell for between $30,000-40,000 USD.

Christie’s

All of these jewels are advertised as “the Property of a Lady of Title” in the auction notes, and two of the pieces have been sold previously in a notable auction. One of them is this lovely Art Deco diamond and platinum bracelet, which was auctioned in 1994 at Christie’s in St. Moritz. The bracelet, which was made in the 1930s, is expected to bring between $20,000-30,000 USD this time around.

Christie’s

Also included in that 1994 sale were these three diamond, platinum, and gold brooches. These are clearly positioned as the star lot in this group. Christie’s describes them as: “old pear-shaped diamond of 13.74 carats, cushion-shaped diamonds of 7.54 and 6.15 carats, old and circular-cut diamonds, platinum and gold.” The brooches, made by Cartier, were originally part of a tiara made for Lady Granard in 1937 and worn at the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth that year.

The tiara was a whopper of a diadem. In Tiaras: Past and Present, Geoffrey Munn describes it as a “truly magnificent tiara of oriental inspiration,” set with diamonds and sapphires. Munn adds, “Brilliant and pear-shaped stones of great value are incorporated into the design; some are old-cut, and must have come from the Granard family collection.” (You can see an image of the tiara here.)

Christie’s

The three diamond clip-style brooches featured in this auction were the central element and two of the side elements from that tiara. Now, they’re able to be worn independently, or on a “later imitation pearl and diamond setting” as a necklace, illustrated above. The lot notes state that “Christie’s is honoured to offer these beautiful Art Deco brooches, rare witnesses of a bygone era.” They’re expecting a big moment for these, setting the auction estimate at between $180,000-220,000 USD.

Archduchess Marie Valerie’s Pearl Tiara

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Dorotheum

At the end of October, an Austrian auction house announced the upcoming sale of an exciting suite of royal jewelry: a tiara and corsage ornament that belonged to the youngest daughter of one of Austria’s last emperors.

Dorotheum

Both jewels were made around 1890 by Kochert, the firm that served as court jeweler to the Austrian imperial family. The tiara is set with around 25 carats’ worth of diamonds and 15 pearls, some of them baroque. The large brooch is set with six more pearls and more old-cut diamonds. The tiara was made by Wilhelm Friedrich Haarstrick, one of the managers of the Kochert atelier, while the brooch was constructed by A.E. Kochert himself.

Archduchess Marie Valerie, ca. 1890 (Wikimedia Commons)

Both jewels were made around 1890, the same year that their first owner was married. Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria was the youngest of the four children of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Born a decade later than the rest of her siblings, Valerie was the treasured baby of the family, indulged by her mother and allowed to marry a husband of her own choosing. She selected a second cousin, Archduke Franz Salvator, part of the Italian branch of the Habsburg family. They were officially engaged on Christmas Eve in 1888.

Marie Valerie and Franz Salvator (Wikimedia Commons)

But fate and tragedy intervened shortly afterward. A month after Valerie’s engagement was officially announced, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria killed himself and his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, at his hunting lodge, Mayerling. The death of Rudolf, who was Valerie’s only brother, plunged the family into despair and left the imperial succession perilously resting on the shoulders of a cousin, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. (And we all know how that turned out, sadly.) Valerie stayed by the side of her grieving mother, Empress Elisabeth, for months, postponing her wedding until the summer of 1890.

Dorotheum

Valerie and Franz Salvator were finally wed in July 1890, and the wedding presents lavished on the bride were incredible. One newspaper article noted that the display of the gifts took up an entire apartment in the imperial palace, with “three beautiful diadems, with brooches to match” among the splendor. The notes from the auction house do not specify whether this tiara and brooch were among those wedding presents, but the date of their creation certainly makes that a real possibility.

Dorotheum

In their report on Valerie’s wedding, the London Times made it clear that Valerie herself was the brightest jewel present on the day: “Little more remains to be said of the wedding except this — that no Archduchess on her marriage day ever carried more truly with her the good wishes of a whole people. The Archduchess Marie Valerie has been her mother’s constant companion and will be most sadly missed by her. To her father she has ever been all that a daughter should be, the delight of his home and his comfort in days of sorrow. A good, brave-hearted girl, gifted with many talents and with a bright, winning face, the young Archduchess deserved to make, as she has made, a pure love match. The other day the Emperor said, with a mixture of joy and sadness, ‘This marriage will be my last happiness.’ Everybody will hope for many years of happiness to the bride, to her husband, and to the parents whom she loves so well.”

Franz Salvator and Marie Valerie with eight of their children, ca. 1905 (Wikimedia Commons)

The marriage was a happy one to start. Valerie and Franz Salvator were genuinely in love, and they had ten children together over the following two decades. They raised their family in Schloss Wallsee (which they purchased from Queen Victoria’s second son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) on the Danube. But more losses and disappointments followed. Valerie’s mother, Empress Elisabeth, was murdered in Switzerland in 1898. And Franz Salvator turned out to be perhaps not the wisest choice for a spouse after all. He was frequently unfaithful, even formally acknowledging an illegitimate son during his marriage to Valerie.

Marie Valerie, ca. 1912 (Wikimedia Commons)

Valerie’s father died in 1916, and at the end of World War I, the Habsburg dynasty in Austria officially ended. Valerie and her family were permitted to keep their home and stay in the country — but only after she formally recognized the end of the monarchy. (She’d already given up her personal succession rights years earlier, as part of her marriage ceremonies.) She died of cancer at Schloss Wallsee in 1924. The tiara and brooch were left to her descendants.

Dorotheum

According to the literature provided by the Dorotheum, the tiara and brooch stayed in the family until this year; they are being offered for sale by some of Valerie’s descendants. The tiara is estimated to sell for between 100,000-200,000 euros (about $110,000-$220,000 USD), while the brooch is expected to fetch between 60,000-100,000 euros (around $66,000-$110,000 USD). The auction will be held in Vienna on November 27.