For the famous English socialite Anne Parsons, Countess of Rosse, appearances certainly mattered – and she was known to use eye-catching jewels to accentuate her own beauty. Two pieces, which were formerly part of her collection, a late 19th century emerald, pearl and diamond bangle, and a mid-19th century onyx cameo, enamel, pearl and diamond bracelet, are to star at Bonhams' London Jewels sale on 28 April in London. The bracelet, which also once belonged to Adrian Hope of the famous Anglo-Dutch banking dynasty, has an estimate of £15,000-20,000 – whilst the bangle has an estimate of £20,000-30,000.
Emily Barber, Head of Bonhams Jewellery Department, UK, commented; "The Countess of Rosse was a woman of exquisite taste, and the two pieces offered in the sale clearly express this. The mid-19th century onyx cameo, enamel, pearl and diamond bracelet in particular, is very special – having also formerly been in the collection of Adrian Hope, whose great-niece, Lady Beatrice Lister Kaye, wore it at her wedding in 1880. In 1935, it featured at another wedding, when Michael Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse, himself a descendent of the illustrious Hopes gave it to his bride, the then Anne Armstrong-Jones. The bracelet is a fitting marriage token; the lion proffering its paw to Eros is an allegory, expressing that love conquers all."
Writing for the Bonhams catalogue, the noted art historian and jewellery expert, Diana Scarisbrick, commented; "As the sister of Oliver Messel, the genius of British theatrical design, heiress to the estate and gardens of Nymans in Sussex, Anne Rosse had been brought up surrounded by beauty, and passed on her feeling for it to her children and grandchildren. Coming from such a cultivated milieu, she would have appreciated that, as the son of Thomas Hope of Deepdene, famous for its Greek style interiors, Adrian shared the Hope family passion for classical art, which is reflected in his choice of a cameo inspired by an ancient Roman model."
The Countess of Rosse (1902-1992)
Born the second child of Maud (daughter of the famous Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne) and Leonard Messel, Anne Messel made her debut in society in 1922. Often appearing in the photographs of royal and society favourite, Cecil Beaton, Anne Messel's style was often praised by society columnists. In 1925, she married Ronald Armstrong-Jones, however the pair divorced in 1934, and the following year, she married Michael Parsons, 6th Earl of Rosse. Her son from her first marriage, the photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, later 1st Earl of Snowdon, married Princess Margaret in 1960 – The Countess wore the attention-grabbing Rosse family diamond and emerald parure, comprising a tiara, necklace and earrings, to the wedding.
The Countess was also a leading light in the Victorian Society, which she helped create at the Sambourne family home at 18 Stafford Terrace in 1958, together with John Betjeman and Nikolaus Pevsner.
This bracelet and the emerald bangle were great favourites of the Countess of Rosse and she may be seen wearing them in many society photographs of her. She wore them at the marriage of her son Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Lord Snowdon, to HRH The Princess Margaret in 1960 and both are clearly visible, one on each wrist, in their wedding portrait by Cecil Beaton with HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in attendance. For reasons of copyright we are unable to reproduce the image in the catalogue but it may be searched for and viewed online.
Adrian John Hope was one of the heirs of the Anglo-Dutch dynasty of merchant-bankers and patrons of the arts. He was the son of Thomas Hope, the noted scholar, prominent collector, writer, and proponent of Neo-Classicism – who filled his London townhouse in Duchess Street, Mayfair – and his country mansion, The Deepene in Dorking, Surrey – with his collections of art. Thomas's brother was the gem connoisseur Henry Philip Hope, whose legendary collection of gems, that included the blue Hope Diamond (now in the National Museum of National History, Washington DC) and the Hope Spinel (which was sold at Bonhams for a world-record price in 2015), was one of the most important private collections of gems ever assembled. The two brothers would also purchase, share and exchange works of art and jewels with each other and after their deaths, their vast collections were inherited and dispersed by their many relatives and heirs.
Other highlights of the sale include:
A number of lots containing spinels, a gemstone which has seen a huge increase in popularity in recent years, and for which Bonhams hold the world-record price (set in 2015 for the Hope Spinel). Pieces offered in the sale include a Spinel and Diamond Ring (estimate: £10,000-15,000), and a 19th Century Spinel and Diamond Necklace and Bracelet (estimate: £150,000 - 250,000).
Until 1783, red and pink spinels were mistaken for rubies. Even after fine pink gems were known to be spinels, they were still referred to as "balas" or "balais" rubies – a term that derives from an ancient word for Badakhshan, a province north of Afghanistan, where they were anciently mined. These Kuh-i-Lal ('red mountain') mines were the world's main source of large spinels from the 1st century AD. Marco Polo (c.1254–1324) described how "fine and valuable balas rubies" were dug only for the King, who owned the entire supply, which he sent to other kings as tributes or as "friendly presents".
Spectacular Mughal spinels which entered Persian, Russian and European royal treasuries include the "Black Prince's Ruby": a large uncut red spinel, given to the Black Prince by Pedro the Cruel in 1367, worn by Henry V in his helmet at the Battle of Agincourt and is now set in the Imperial State Crown in the British crown jewels.
The sale will also include Property from an Important Private Collection of Bulgari (Lots 109-115). Leading the selection is an Emerald and Diamond Ring (Estimate: £180,000-250,000). Other highlights include a Mother-of-Pearl and Diamond 'Serpenti' Bracelet (Estimate: £30,000-50,000), a Pair of Emerald and Diamond Pendent Earrings (Estimate: £35,000 - 45,000), and an Emerald and Diamond Bracelet (Estimate: £55,000-80,000).
Bulgari was founded in 1884 by Sotirio Bulgari, a Greek silversmith, displaced by war, who overcame great adversity to open his first store in Rome. By the 1930s, having left the business to his two sons, Bulgari's distinctive style had begun to emerge with the creation of the first 'Trombino' ring. The first 'Serpenti' jewel followed during the late 1940s. As an ancient symbol of rebirth and eternal love, Bulgari paid homage the Eternal City's romantic association with Cleopatra. The complex techniques required to imitate a serpent coiling around a wrist were perfected during the 1960s and 1970s and today, the Serpenti collection is one of Bulgari's most renowned lines.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Rome become a popular filming location, and Bulgari's store on the Via Condotti attracted an impressive and international clientele of Hollywood stars, high-profile figures and socialites. It was through this highly publicised association that Bulgari came to epitomise La Dolce Vita.