Emperor Christian Victor I

Emperor Christian Victor I

Tuesday 17 March 2015

What's Up Wednesday (Princes Beloskaya-Beloserskaya Tiara Auction)

2015 saw another major jewellery auction take place last week. What drew the media attention was the historic provenance of some of the major pieces on the list.

Princess Augusta was once again, the organiser and auctioneer of some of the world's most famous jewels to come under the hammer.

The Princely Family of Beloskaya-Beloserskaya reached prominence and great wealth during the Ruskian Imperial heyday. They accumulated a sizable jewellery collection that was mostly lost to the Great War and the Ruskian Revolution that followed. The heirs to the family persist to this day but the title became extinct in 1974 when the last Prince died without an heir matching the house laws of succession. The last of the surviving Beloskaya-Beloserskaya jewellery came up for sale this week as a result of the Prince's granddaughter who decided to make it available. The Princess Beloskaya-Beloserskaya Aquamarine Parure was the central piece in this auction and can be pictured above, displayed with Princess Augusta just before the commencement of the day's event.
Augusta's Auction House was the illustrious venue for this and many other major sales of historic art and jewellery.

Auctions of this caliber attract investors of the highest echelons like the very wealthy Baron D'Rothchild pictured above.

The Duchess of Roswind, not an outright jewellery collector but an investor for the Van Der Bilt Family trust can be seen at left in the photo showing interest in the Aquamarine Parure. Princess Oktavia Von Hohen und Silberstein, at right, is a world famous spendthrift with the ready funds to back up her reputation. 

The Prince Youssopoff owns a very large historic collection of Ruskian jewellery and also showed a keen interest in acquiring the Aquamarines.

The Duchess of Argyle recently lost her Dysart Family Diamond Tiara to theft and has shown interest in replacing it with another.

The final contender for the sale was the Grand Duke of Reichenthal. There were also some buyers who were taking part in the sale via Skype.

Princess Augusta can be seen above presiding as auctioneer over the commencement of the proceedings. First up was the Aquamarines.

A bid by the Baron D'Rothchild.

Prince Felix Youssopoff.

The Duchess of Argyle heats up the bidding. 

A bidding war ensued beyond the expected price of the Aquamarines between the Duchess of Argyle and Princess Oktavia.

However the Beloskaya-Beloserskaya Parure went for a record price to the Duchess of Argyle.

The happy customer is seen above admiring her prize after the day's events.

This close-up archive photo allows us to appreciate the Aquamarines in detail.

Other jewellery that came up for sale was an antique Amethyst Parure that belonged to Queen Victoria of Britania. It left the main branch of the family as a dowry set of jeweller for Princess Mary, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria who married the Syldavian Margrave of Hesse. After generations it came into the hands of a private investor who is the current seller. The Amethysts intrinsic value is not as high as its historical value and for that very reason it was bought by The Crown Prince Imperial for its return to the Imperial Collection.

The Princess Mary Amethysts are a rare survivor from the court of Queen Victoria of Britania. Not many jewellery from that era remain in their original form making this a true historical treasure worthy of the Imperial Collection.

The Duchess of Lancaster has put her least historical set of jewellery up for sale in order to raise funds for many of the charities she is involved with. The Art Deco set dates from the late 1920's and has investment value for that purpose and for its association with the Lancaster Family. It was bought by the Prince Felix Youssopoff.

An Imperial Topaz necklace of uncertain provenance but of confirmed historic Franconian period manufacture was also bought by the Crown Prince Imperial, presumably to compliment an Imperial Topaz tiara already in the historical Imperial Collection.

1 comment:

  1. Wow! An exciting auction! Congratulations to the Duchess of Argyle for her winning and her new adquisition

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