Perles Bracelets | Joyaux de Couronne France
Grand Peigne a Pampilles provenant de la Collection des Joyaux de la Couronne| Joyaux de Couronne France
Two of the Aiguillettes
from the French Crown Jewels | Diamond Necklace
Just over a week after the auction of the French Crown jewels, Tiffany sold 28 diamonds, from the diamond chains from the great Comb à Pampilles, to Junius S. Morgan, patriarch of the famous banking family in England. They were later passed on to Morgan’s granddaughter, Mary Ethel Burns, referred to in a letter dated June 1888, to be held in trust for her by her father Walter H. Burns.
The diamonds in the chains were subsequently remounted in the present necklace by Mary Harcourt, née Burns, to whom the stones were originally bequeathed
DOWAGER VISCOUNTESS HARCOURT DIAMOND NECKLACE
Made in part from diamonds from the great comb à pampilles of the French Crown Jewels, set with twenty-eight graduated old mine-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 65.00 carats, each surmounted by pair of small collet-set diamonds on a wire mounting, suspending from a necklace of scalloped links set with similarly-cut diamonds, mounted in silver-topped gold, length approximately 410mm and 480mm.
The Dowager Viscountess Harcourt>>, born Mary Ethel Burns, was the daughter of Walter H. Burns and Mary Morgan, sister of banker J. Pierpont Morgan. She married Lewis, 1st Viscount Harcourt in 1899, and the necklace easily dates from around 1900, the turn of the century.
This lot is accompanied by the original bill of sale from the French Ministry of Finance, dated 23 May 1887 as well as the receipt of sale from Tiffany to J.S. Morgan, 2 June 1887.
The Viscountess Harcourt wearing the necklace>>
Diamonds from this famed ‘1887 French Crown Jewels Auction’ rarely come up for sale at auction, this jewel is now offered for €1,171,972 - 1,757,957 from Sotheby's on 7th October 2015. Over the past twenty-five years, only a few pieces were offered for resale at auction. In addition, there was the famous Thurn and Taxis Pearl and Diamond Tiara, sold by Sotheby’s in 1992 to the Louvre Museum, and the magnificent Empress Eugénie Brooch also sold to the Louvre Museum. For others, see the links below:
Source:Fever,Bapst,Sotheby's;
Thank you to my dear Volker and Laura for her help.
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