CHRISTIE'S SALEROOM NEWS Issued by: Patrick Dolan & Associates, 10, Bruton-street, London, W.l. All enquiries to: John Herbert (GRO 7701) (TTui 9060) At night: RlVerside 3693 "THE AGELESS DL'iMOND" EXHIBITION January 9th - 28th Notes on Exhibits THE QUEEN'S JSVELLERY Queen Alexandra's Tiara. This was a present to xjueen Alexandra on her Silver Wedding in 1888 from some of her friends. It was often worn by ^ueen Mary. It was first worn by the present Queen at the opening of parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, during the 1954 World Tour and was worn at all other Openings of Parliament during the Tour. The diamonds are of superb size and the design of the tiara is of a Russian peasant's headdress. 2. The 3rd and 4th Part of the Cullinan Diamond. The Cullinan diamond was originally 3,025 carats, the size of a man's fist and weighed 1-jlbs. It was found in 1905 by Mr. Frederick Wells, manager of the Premier Mine, Pretoria. The nine, which is now owned by De Beers, was then the property of Thomas (later Sir) Cullinan, a one-time bricklayer. Although the Boer war had only just ended, Generals Botha and Smuts persuaded the Transvaal Government to buy the Cullinan for "the nominal sum" of £150,000 and present it to Edward VII on his birthday in 1907. Edward VII said it was to be cut up. The first part, of over 600 carats, is in the Sceptre. The second part, 300 carats, is in the brow of the Imperial State Crown. These two are known as the "Stars of Africa". Altogether tiie Cullinan was broken up into nine principal pieces and it is tha 3rd and 4th parts which will be on show at the .t^geless Diamond exhibition. The cutting of the original Cullinan was done in 1907 by Mr. Jack Asscher of .asschers, the world famous Amsterdam firm. Mr. Cecil Mann, the Queen's Jeweller, describes it as being as difficult as "splitting the atom". The Asscher Brothers set the stone on a table looking for the cleavage line for six months before deciding on how to attack it. In 1908 the two largest stones were mounted by Garrards in the Sceptre and Crown. The 3rd and 4th parts were made into a brooch about 3% inches in length. The ljueen took it on her Royal Tour of Holland and wore the brooch when she visited the Asscher factory. During the tour she took the brooch off her dress and handed it to Mr. Louis Asscher and said "I think it is high time that it cane hone to you again". Mr. Asscher handed it back, of course. This was the / - 2 - first tine the stones had bean back to Holland for 51 years. The last time they were worn in public was by Jueen Mary at the wedding of the present Queen in November, 1947. 3- The South African Diamonds. The Queen always refers to these as "my best diamonds". They consist of 21 large stones given to her by the Union of South Africa on her 21st birthday - April 21st, 1947 - in Cape Town during the Royal Tour of Ring George VI. There is also one other stone given by tie Beers at Ximberley during the course of the tour. All these are now mounted as a necklace and bracelet. 4. The Wil-liaiaaon fink. This is a splendid brooch in the form of a flower. The central stone is a 23 carat brilliant cut pink diamond. It was originally presented "in the rough" to the Queen by the late tir. J. T. Williamson, of Tanganyika, as a wedding present to princess Elizabeth. Pink diamonds are very rare and can be described as a freak of nature. There are pink, green, yellow, blue and brown diamonds but there are never red ones. The stone is valued at over £450,000. 5. The Queen Mother's Garter Star. This Garter Star which belonged to King George VI is "the finest modern garter in existence". The diamonds were given in 1947 by the Union of South Africa after being specially selected. They were presented in a gold cigarette box, the diamonds being arranged in the shape of a springbok. The diamonds were mounted as a Garter Star by Garrards in 1948. %Vken the King wore it for the first time, he was heard to comment: "Now I can compete with the ladies". HISTORIC ITEMS Owner Item tiucness of Sutherland The Marie Antoinette necklace. This necklace of 22 diamonds was part of a huge necklace bought by Cardinal de Rohan some years before the French devolution, after he had been recalled in disgrace from the Court of Vienna where he had been French Ambassador. As part of a deep—laid plot by which he night win himself back into favour with Queen Marie Antoinette, he was deceived into believing that she would accept the necklace if he bought it for her. Although the Queen was unaware of these machinations and probably would never have accepted the necklace, the scandal of the transaction, when it became public, recoiled on her. The "affaire" invoked even louder charges from the palace mob of "extravagant pleasure" than were already being hurled upon her. This led in 1793 to her execution by guillotine. mf/ - 3 - HISTORIC ITEMS (CONTD) Owner Item Earl Spencer Marie Antoinette's diadem. Marie Antoinette wore this when she was about 10. It has nine graduated flower sprays of rose-cut diamonds. Earl Spencer Diamond necklace of 42 stones presented by Queen Anne to Sarah,Duchess of Marlborough. Duke of Newcastle Diamond Necklace, sf Marchioness of Londonderry 9-inch long.Stomacher. X Duke of Northumberland Diamond 'strawberry leaf' tiara. The large centre stone came from a State sword which was presented in 1825 to the 3rd Duke of Northumberland by George IV whom he represented at the Coronation of Charles X of France, Duke of Northumberland Pink diamond solitaire ring which belonged to. Madame du Barry. Probably purchased by Hugh,yAi the 3rd Duke, when he attended the Coronation of Charles X. Mrs, Paul Fallraf Marie Antoinette's diamond brooch. Mrs. Peter Barnes Anton Dunkels' cinnamon diamond. Mr. Anton Dunkels, a distinguished diamond merchant, was head of the firm of A. DunkelsbuMer & Co., which was one of the parties to the contract signed in 1890 for the purchase of De Beers diamond production. This was the start of the Diamond Syndicate. Viscount Harccurt Diamond brooch worn by George IV at his wedding to Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795. Mr. Peter Locan The Eureka Diamond. This was the first diamond ever to be found in South Africa. It was discovered close to the Orange River in I867 by a 16 year-old farmer's son, Erasmus Jacobs, While resting in the shade he saw a "glittering pebble" which he took home to play with. His mother gave the "pebble" to a friend who thought there was something unusual about it. He sold it to a pedlar cum hunter, one Jack O'Reilly for a few pounds. When Jack O'Reilly found that he could write his name on a window with it, he sent it to a Grahamstown mineralogist who confirmed that it was a 21 carat diamond. O'Reilly sold it to Sir Philip Wodehouse, Governor of Cape Colony, for £500. It was shown in the Paris exhibition of I867. The finding of this diamond, which was named "Eureka" - Greek for "I've found it", led to the first diamond rush in I869. Erasmus, the boy who started it all got nothing for his trouble, except £30 which neighbours collected to help him in his old age. Owner Item Mr. Harry Winston The Nopal Diamond. This diamond, pear-shaped and mounted as a pendant, is 79*41 carats and is one of the great gems of the world. It was found 400 years ago in one of the famous Golconda mines from which the Koh-I- Noor, Great Mogul and Hope diamonds all came. The Nepal diamond was handed down from one ruler to another and had never left India until it was bought recently by Mr. Winston. Immediately prior to this it was owned by Gahendra Shumsher, elder son of Maharajah Bir Shumshor Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal. Altogether £4 million worth of diamonds will be on display at the exhibition. The proceeds will be given to the National Playing Fields Association and the Children's Country Holidays Fund. ENDS .