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Verdura Unicorn Brooch With Royal Connection Up for Auction
The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
This Verdura unicorn brooch will go up for auction at Elmwood’s in London on Aug. 19 and is estimated to sell for as much as $40,000. It belonged to the late Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, Queen Elizabeth II’s only American lady-in-waiting.
London—A whimsical brooch with a royal connection is headed to auction at Elmwood’s in London this month.
The Verdura unicorn brooch belonged to Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, dowager countess of Airlie, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
Born into a prominent London family in 1933, Ogilvy’s mother, Margaret Kahn, was the daughter of financier Otto Hermann Kahn, while her father, John Barry Ryan Jr., was the grandson of American industrialist and financier Thomas Fortune Ryan.
She was raised in New York and Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1952, she married David Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy, at St. Margaret’s Church on the grounds of Westminster Abbey in London. Among the 1,000 guests were Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret.
In 1968, her husband became the 13th earl of Airlie, making her countess of Airlie.
Five years later, she was appointed a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first American to hold the position.
For her long service to the Royal Household, she was appointed a commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1983 and promoted to dame commander in 1995.
She continued to serve the queen for nearly five decades as one of the most senior ladies-in-waiting until Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022.
After the queen died, she assisted King Charles III with royal household duties.
When Ogilvy died in August 2024 at the age of 91, Buckingham Palace said the King was deeply saddened and had greatly appreciated her “immense devotion and dedicated service” to the late queen.
The unicorn brooch up for auction was one of Ogilvy’s favorites, the auction house said.
Her mother was a longtime friend of Italian-American jeweler Duke Fulco di Verdura and he became a Ogilvy’s friend as well.
“This is an exceptional Verdura jewel, but what makes it particularly fascinating is the very personal story behind it,” said Joe Kendrick, head of sale at Elmwood’s Auctioneers.
“Virginia Ogilvy was not simply the owner of a Verdura piece, she had a genuine connection with Fulco di Verdura that stretched back to her childhood. The fact that Virginia was one of the very few people permitted to visit Verdura’s studio and watch him work gives this jewel an extraordinary personal link.”
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The Verdura unicorn brooch belonged to Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, dowager countess of Airlie, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
Born into a prominent London family in 1933, Ogilvy’s mother, Margaret Kahn, was the daughter of financier Otto Hermann Kahn, while her father, John Barry Ryan Jr., was the grandson of American industrialist and financier Thomas Fortune Ryan.
She was raised in New York and Newport, Rhode Island.
In 1952, she married David Ogilvy, Lord Ogilvy, at St. Margaret’s Church on the grounds of Westminster Abbey in London. Among the 1,000 guests were Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret.
In 1968, her husband became the 13th earl of Airlie, making her countess of Airlie.
Five years later, she was appointed a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first American to hold the position.
For her long service to the Royal Household, she was appointed a commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1983 and promoted to dame commander in 1995.
She continued to serve the queen for nearly five decades as one of the most senior ladies-in-waiting until Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022.
After the queen died, she assisted King Charles III with royal household duties.
When Ogilvy died in August 2024 at the age of 91, Buckingham Palace said the King was deeply saddened and had greatly appreciated her “immense devotion and dedicated service” to the late queen.
The unicorn brooch up for auction was one of Ogilvy’s favorites, the auction house said.
Her mother was a longtime friend of Italian-American jeweler Duke Fulco di Verdura and he became a Ogilvy’s friend as well.
“This is an exceptional Verdura jewel, but what makes it particularly fascinating is the very personal story behind it,” said Joe Kendrick, head of sale at Elmwood’s Auctioneers.
“Virginia Ogilvy was not simply the owner of a Verdura piece, she had a genuine connection with Fulco di Verdura that stretched back to her childhood. The fact that Virginia was one of the very few people permitted to visit Verdura’s studio and watch him work gives this jewel an extraordinary personal link.”
The brooch is in the shape of a unicorn’s head emerging from a circular cabochon turquoise crown, decorated with a pear-shaped diamond fringe, and a diamond-set horn. There is a flower set with brilliant-cut diamonds in the unicorn’s mouth.
It is signed Verdura and set with approximately 1.10 carats of diamonds.
Elmwood’s said the unicorn was a recurring motif in Verdura’s work, as he found inspiration in the folk carvings on early American carousels.
“The unicorn itself is wonderfully characteristic of Verdura’s imagination. It is playful, sculptural, and fantastical, yet executed with the sophistication and craftsmanship for which he was renowned,” Kendrick said.
“We are delighted to be bringing it to auction, and we believe it will attract considerable interest from collectors of Verdura, important jewelry, and pieces with significant royal and aristocratic provenance.”
The brooch will be up for auction at Elmwood’s jewelry sale on Aug. 19, with a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000 ($27,000 to $40,500).
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