Storied Brooch Makes Its Way to Auction

RAPAPORT… Bonhams will sell a Belle Époque aquamarine and diamond brooch that belonged to Deborah Mitford, the duchess of Devonshire, at its London Jewels sale next month.

The piece, which dates back to 1905, features a large, oval-cut aquamarine surrounded by old-brilliant and single-cut diamonds, suspending a detachable aquamarine drop. It is expected to fetch $34,000 to $48,000 at the September 22 sale, Bonhams said Tuesday.

Mitford, the youngest of the six famous aristocratic Mitford sisters, wore the brooch to the “White Ball,” a party held in London in 1969 by Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the financial manager of the Rolling Stones.

The auction house will also sell a ring by Boodles, set with a cushion-shaped, fancy-purplish-pink, VS1-clarity diamond weighing 2.52 carats and an Ashoka-cut, 3.23-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity diamond. That jewel is valued at up to $580,000.

A cushion-shaped, 17.30-carat, fancy-light-yellow, VS1-clarity diamond ring by Graff will also hit the auction block, carrying a high estimate of $210,000. Meanwhile, a Belle Époque diamond tiara created in 1905 by Italian jeweler and goldsmith Giuseppe Knight will go under the hammer. Formerly belonging to a European noble family, the piece has a high valuation of $110,000.

Image: The aquamarine brooch. (Bonhams)