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Nancy Astor’s Cartier Tiara Heads to Auction
The turquoise and diamond tiara hasn’t been on the market since it was purchased by Lord Astor in 1930.
This turquoise and diamond tiara by Cartier, which belonged to American-born British politician Nancy Astor, is up for auction at Bonhams “London Jewels” sale next month.
London—Nancy Astor’s turquoise and diamond tiara by Cartier is going up for auction at Bonhams.
The tiara, circa 1930, is a highlight of the “London Jewels” sale, slated for June 5 at its Bond Street location.
The sale will be the first time the “exceptionally rare” tiara, owned by Nancy, Viscountess Astor (1879-1964), has appeared on the market since it was purchased by her husband Lord Astor in 1930, said Bonhams.
Born Nancy Witcher Langhorne in Danville, Virginia, the American-born British politician was the first woman to take her seat in Parliament, serving from 1919 to 1945.
She moved to England in 1905 and met American-born Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879-1952), on the same trip across the Atlantic from America. Her husband, the great-great-grandson of American fur magnate Jacob Astor, was also a member of Parliament and the proprietor of The Observer, a London Sunday newspaper.
The pair married in 1906 and moved into Cliveden, their estate in Buckinghamshire, England, gifted to them by Astor’s father.
Nancy Astor was a prominent hostess for the British elite while also advocating for temperance, welfare, education reform, and women’s rights in parliament.
Her turquoise and diamond tiara will be “the star of the sale,” said Jean Ghika, Bonhams global head of jewelry.
The tiara is set throughout with old brilliant, single, and rose-cut diamonds, with a principal old brilliant-cut diamond at the center and three fluted turquoise plumes set with brilliant and single-cut diamond stems. Each side of the tiara features a radiating fan-shaped turquoise panel design.
The Cartier tiara has a pre-sale estimate of £250,000 to 350,000 ($332,300 to $465,300).
Related stories will be right here …
The tiara, circa 1930, is a highlight of the “London Jewels” sale, slated for June 5 at its Bond Street location.
The sale will be the first time the “exceptionally rare” tiara, owned by Nancy, Viscountess Astor (1879-1964), has appeared on the market since it was purchased by her husband Lord Astor in 1930, said Bonhams.
Born Nancy Witcher Langhorne in Danville, Virginia, the American-born British politician was the first woman to take her seat in Parliament, serving from 1919 to 1945.
She moved to England in 1905 and met American-born Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor (1879-1952), on the same trip across the Atlantic from America. Her husband, the great-great-grandson of American fur magnate Jacob Astor, was also a member of Parliament and the proprietor of The Observer, a London Sunday newspaper.
The pair married in 1906 and moved into Cliveden, their estate in Buckinghamshire, England, gifted to them by Astor’s father.
Nancy Astor was a prominent hostess for the British elite while also advocating for temperance, welfare, education reform, and women’s rights in parliament.
Her turquoise and diamond tiara will be “the star of the sale,” said Jean Ghika, Bonhams global head of jewelry.
The tiara is set throughout with old brilliant, single, and rose-cut diamonds, with a principal old brilliant-cut diamond at the center and three fluted turquoise plumes set with brilliant and single-cut diamond stems. Each side of the tiara features a radiating fan-shaped turquoise panel design.
The Cartier tiara has a pre-sale estimate of £250,000 to 350,000 ($332,300 to $465,300).
“Cartier has long been recognized as the name behind some of the world’s most important jewels, and the Astor turquoise and diamond tiara dates to a period when Cartier London was at the height of their creative prowess,” said Ghika.
The design is “truly unique,” said Ghika, noting its distinctive plumes, leaves and scrolls carved in turquoise were inspired by Egyptian, Indian, and Persian motifs.
The French jeweler explored these motifs throughout the early 20th century, she said, and its Eastern-inspired jewels were “hugely fashionable.”
“With impeccable provenance and a compelling marriage of Western and Eastern influences in the design, the tiara is exceptionally rare, and we feel honoured to have the opportunity to present it for sale for the first time in nearly a century.”
The tiara, seen here in a Cartier box, is “truly unique,” said Jean Ghika, Bonhams global head of jewelry.
The tiara was first recorded in the Cartier archives in 1929 when Cartier requested that English Art Works—the workshop within the 175 New Bond Street store that served as the main atelier for Cartier London—add the carved turquoise plumes and leaves to an existing diamond bandeau in 1930.
The completed tiara is listed in Cartier’s records in November 1930, said Bonhams, and was sold a month later to Viscount Astor.
In 1931, Lady Astor notably wore the tiara to the premiere of “City Lights” at the Dominion Theatre in London.
In the early 1930s, Lady Astor loaned the tiara to her sister Phyllis Langhorne Brand for a court presentation at Buckingham Palace.
Nancy's brother-in-law, the Hon. Robert Henry Brand, commissioned Cartier to produce a similar turquoise and diamond tiara in 1935.
The tiara belonging to Lady Astor’s sister is currently on display at the V&A museum’s Cartier exhibition.
Other highlights of the upcoming sale include a toi et moi ring set with a 2.05-carat fancy pink diamond and a 1.42-carat fancy bluish-green diamond. The pre-sale estimate is £180,000 to £250,000 ($239,300 to $332,300).
A Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. diamond and gem-set leaves necklace, circa 1980, is also up for sale.
A Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. necklace featuring pavé-set diamond leaves, gold stems and bows, and a gem-set butterfly
The articulated collar features pavé-set diamond leaves entwined with gold stems, with gold bows throughout and a gem-set butterfly.
The signed piece has a pre-sale estimate of £40,000 to £60,000 ($53,200 to $79,800).
Another Cartier piece will also hit the auction block. The citrine and diamond clip brooch, circa 1930, features the oval “buckle” motif set with circular-cut citrines and old brilliant-cut diamond accents. The central pin is channel-set with calibré-cut citrines.
A Cartier “buckle” clip brooch set with diamonds and citrines
The signed piece has a pre-sale estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 ($19,900 to $26,600).
For more information on the auction, visit the Bonhams website.
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