Historic Rosebery jewellery sale

Christie’s will auction important jewels from the Victorian era today.

The historic sale includes The Rosebery pearl and diamond tiara, bracelet and brooch, three of the most important jewels that belonged to Hannah, Countess of Rosebery née de Rothschild. The pieces were made in the opulent grand Victorian court style and comprise a series of large natural pearl and diamond clusters.

These jewels will be sold as two lots: The Rosebery pearl and diamond tiara, which is expected to realise between $1.6 million and $2.4 million, and The Rosebery pearl and diamond bracelet and brooch, which carries a presale estimate of $488,000 to $650,000.

Keith Penton, head of jewels at Christie’s London, said, “The Rosebery pearl and diamond tiara, bracelet and brooch were at the heart of Lady Rosebery’s vast array of magnificent jewels, which rivaled those of the crowned heads of Europe at the time. They are a rare survival of 19th century English aristocratic splendour, as so much ancestral jewellry has been sold anonymously, remounted or broken down.

Having descended through various branches of the family and survived the vicissitudes of fashion, the jewels are being offered for sale from a private collection for the first time since their creation nearly 140 years ago.’’