PREVIEW: JEWELLERY & WATCHES 13 JUNE

As we look forward to the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on 6 May, Noonans are delighted to bring you their Royal tribute of this specially printed limited edition booklet, Royal Treasures.

We are also delighted to announce the forthcoming sale of two Royal gifts from Queen Mary to Princess Margaret: a fine Art Deco sapphire and diamond brooch, circa 1925, presented in 1946, and a white Honiton lace fan, presented in 1939.

The Royal tribute contains a summary of many of the jewels, medals, coins and bibelots
sold by Noonans in recent years, from a 1953 diamond Coronation brooch – the personal gift of her Majesty The Queen to the then Duchess of Norfolk – to rare coins and medals from the reigns of Elizabeth I and Charles I. We hope you enjoy reading it online, and we also have a limited number of printed copies available.

Princess Margaret’s brooch and Honiton lace fan are highlights of the Jewellery & Watches auction to be held on 13 June. The stylish Art Deco brooch, cased by Collingwood, was a gift to the Princess from her grandmother Queen Mary, on the occasion of her confirmation, 15 April 1946, when the Princess was aged 15. The brooch is estimated to fetch £8,000-12,000.

The white Honiton lace fan, circa 1900, was also a gift from her Queen Mary to her granddaughter in 1939. It had been made to order by Queen Mary in 1904, for Victoria Mary, Princess of Wales, for the St Louis Exhibition in the USA.

During the years of the Second World War, the two Royal Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, took part in Royal pantomimes at Christmas, performed at Windsor Castle, helping to build morale during the dark years of the war, the first pantomime being held in 1941. Photographs of the two sisters in the 1943 Royal pantomime of Aladdin show Princess Margaret holding the lace fan in her role as Princess Roxana, her sister taking the title role of Aladdin.

The idea to stage the Royal pantomimes came after the two princesses appeared in a concert with children from the Royal School to aid the war effort. Funds from the shows went towards the Royal Household Wool Fund which provided comforts for the troops. The fan is offered for sale with an estimate of £1000-2000.

Both the brooch and fan were formerly sold at Christie’s auction, Property from the Collection of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, on 13 June 2006 and are accompanied by Certificates of Provenance from Kensington Palace.

The following links are related to this article:

Royal Treasures Booklet