One of Princess Margaret’s most iconic jewellery pieces sold at auction for £320,000 earlier this week.
The Princess wore the diamond-and-pearl bracelet in her 19th birthday portraits in July 1949. Sir Cecil Beaton took the portraits at Buckingham Palace on 8 July.
The bracelet was gifted to Princess Margaret by her grandmother, Queen Mary, and came with a pearl necklace. She wore the bracelet frequently in the ‘50s and ‘60s as well.
Sold at auction by Dix Noonan Webb, the bracelet was estimated to sell for £30,000 – £40,000. It had previously been auctioned off in 2006 by Christie’s, in a sale of items from Princess Margaret’s children.
The auctioneer’s website described the bracelet: “An Art Deco cultured pearl and diamond bracelet, circa 1925, the double strand of cultured pearls highlighted by a millegrain-set row of brilliant-cut diamonds, to a cultured pearl and diamond-set shield-shaped clasp of openwork geometric design, millegrain edged, mounted in platinum, the clasp engraved with the ownership mark ‘M’ beneath The Princess Margaret’s coronet, further stamped ‘M’ for Mikimoto and ‘P’ for platinum, later fitted case by Cartier.”
Frances Noble, an associate director and head of the company’s jewellery department, told Hello! that the sale “not only reflects the strength of the current auction market but also the overriding importance of provenance.
“Princess Margaret was photographed wearing this bracelet on numerous occasions which certainly added to the appeal of the piece, attracting international interest and extremely competitive bidding – an exceptional result for the vendor.”
Also included with the bracelet was a certificate of provenance from Kensington Palace—Princess Margaret’s former home—and the sale catalogue from the Christie’s auction titled ‘Property from the Collection of Her Royal Highness, The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Volume I: Jewellery and Fabergé, 13 June 2006.’
