Editor’s Note
A piece of British political and social history made a striking appearance at auction this week. The Cartier tiara once belonging to Nancy Astor, the UK’s first female MP, soared to £889,400—tripling its estimate—underscoring the enduring allure of jewels with a storied past.
The diamond and turquoise tiara that belonged to Lady Ascot, the first female parliamentarian in the United Kingdom, has caused a surprise at the auction held by Bonhams. The reason is that it tripled its estimated price, reaching 889,400 pounds sterling (1.055 million euros).
We are talking about a jewel of oriental inspiration that Waldorf Astor, the second Viscount Astor, gave to his wife, Nancy Witcher Langhorne. Called the Cartier Astor Turquoise and Diamond Tiara, the piece is set with old brilliant-cut, single-cut, and rose-cut diamonds.
Among them, a central old brilliant-cut diamond stands out, from which three fluted turquoise plumes with stems of brilliant-cut and single-cut diamonds emanate. The feathers, leaves, and scrolls carved in turquoise were inspired by Egyptian, Indian, and Persian motifs. These were motifs widely explored by Cartier in the early 20th century, resulting in the firm’s oriental-inspired jewels.
The first record of it in the Cartier archives dates from 1929. At that time, the house commissioned English Art Works to add the carved turquoise feathers and leaves to an existing diamond bandeau. Finally, in November 1930, it appears as finished, and Viscount Astor bought it for his wife. She wore it at the premiere of City Lights at the Dominion Theatre in London.
This second tiara is the one currently on display at the iconic Cartier exhibition at the V&A Museum.
But the sale of this tiara for this high price was not the only surprise from Bonhams’ jewelry auction. A set of floral brooches with old cushion-cut and rose-cut diamonds sold for 305,200 pounds sterling (363,000 euros). This amount is six times higher than its initial sale price, estimated between 50,000 and 80,000 pounds sterling.
Also sold for a price seven times higher than estimated was a ring from around 1930. It is a piece with a step-cut emerald of Colombian origin, weighing 4.13 carats, set between shoulders of step-cut baguette diamonds. It reached 229,000 pounds sterling (272,000 euros), surpassing its pre-sale estimated price of 30,000 to 50,000 pounds sterling.