A glittering emerald dragonfly brooch which was a favourite of Princess Margaret’s mother-in-law has gone up for sale with a starting price of £350,00.
Anne Parsons, the Countess of Rosse, wore the magnificent antique diamond and emerald brooch to the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II – and later to the wedding of her son, Antony Armstrong-Jones, to Princess Margaret in 1960.
The heirloom, which was crafted by Garrad & Co in 1911, features two briolette emeralds set in silver and gold, with 226 old cut diamonds making up most of the dragonfly shape.
The briolettes detach from the upper wings to form a pair of drop earrings, and the wings are set ‘en tremblant’ so quiver delicately as the wearer moves.
It is on sale through Hancocks, and comes with the original Garrad box and a handwritten note about the creation of the jewel from the Countess of Rosse herself.
The note reveals the brooch was made for the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911, commissioned by Anne’s mother Frances Parsons.
Sir Cecil Lister Kaye designed the piece for his daughter, the Countess of Rosse, and used detachable emerald briolette drops from the Rosse emerald parure.
Garrad & Co, who crafted the brooch, were working on Queen Mary’s crown at the time – the very same worn by Queen Camilla at King Charles’s Coronation.
Buckingham Palace stated that the decision to use Queen Mary’s crown was ‘in the interests of sustainability and efficiency.’ The palace also said: ‘The choice of Queen Mary’s Crown by Her Majesty is for the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a Consort instead of a new commission.’
The dragonfly brooch’s most notable appearances came paired with the Rosse emerald tiara and parure at the Coronation of King George VI and the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
The Countess of Rosse also sported the emerald earrings with the Rosse emerald tiara and parure, alongside a Victor Stiebel gown at a ball hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace ahead of the wedding of her son and Princess Margaret in 1960.
In the 1980s, the Rosse Emerald Tiara and the emerald necklace were auctioned off at Christie’s, but the Dragonfly brooch had remained with the family.
The Earl of Rosse originally offered the dragonfly brooch for sale at Bonhams in 2016, but later withdrew the offer.
A note inside the jewellery box reads: ‘This brooch was made out of the earrings of the antique emerald and diamond parure of the Rosse family – by Lois Lady Rosse for the 1911 Coronation and also some extra diamonds were added in.’
Hancocks shares more details of the stunning piece: ‘The dragonfly brooch is a truly spectacular jewel and would have attracted many an admiring glance, the tremulant setting causing it to flutter and catch the light with every movement she made.’
‘The dragonfly brooch passed on from Frances to her daughter-in-law Anne, 6th Countess of Rosse.
‘The brooch was a favourite jewel of Anne’s, and she wore it regularly.
‘Images of her wearing the dragonfly show it on evening dresses, cocktail dresses, and coats, this was a woman with passion for both jewellery and passion.’