Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu

Formerly the Property of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon



An Art Deco diamond and sapphire brooch, circa 1925, the rectangular plaque of geometric form and set with three step-cut sapphires, the surround set throughout with old brilliant and single-cut diamonds, mounted in platinum, in fitted leather case by Collingwood (Jewellers) Ltd, length 4.7cm.

Accompanied by the Certificate of Provenance from Kensington Palace, dated 13 June 2006, in original embossed brown leather folder.



£8,000-£12,000

Christie’s, Property from the Collection of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Sale 13 June 2006, Lot 137.

Princess Margaret was confirmed on 14 April 1946 in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle by Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher. This brooch was given as a confirmation gift from her grandmother Queen Mary, possibly a piece from the Queen’s private collection.


Born 21 August 1930, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret Rose was the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York and sister to Princess Elizabeth, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Princess Margaret was to live her life in the public eye, becoming one of the world’s most celebrated socialites, iconised for her striking beauty, style and taste.
Princess Margaret’s love of jewellery, and brooches in particular, was evident throughout her life, always accessorising her outfits with carefully chosen examples. In April 1947, at the age of 16, the Princess accompanied her father King George VI, her mother Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Elizabeth, on the Royal tour of South Africa. Even at such a young age, we see her interest in fashion and style developing. In the photograph below, the young Princess wears the Art Deco brooch pinned to the left of her outfit, the brooch given to her the previous April by her grandmother Queen Mary.