We have some exciting news today! Exactly a year ago, we wrote about Lady Astor’s Cartier Turquoise Tiara, on the 60th Anniversary of her Death, which hadn’t been seen in over seventy years, but we can now reveal that the Tiara is going on Auction at Bonhams in London in June, and we got to take a special preview!
The striking Tiara was composed of carved turquoise palmettes and leaves over an antique Diamond scroll base, which had been made by Boucheron and later adapted by Cartier, where it was purchased by Viscount Astor in 1930.
The tiara is first recorded in the Cartier archives in 1929 when Cartier instructed English Art Works to add the carved turquoise plumes and leaves to an existing diamond bandeau in 1930. The completed turquoise and diamond tiara is listed in Cartier’s records in November 1930 and a month later it was sold to Viscount Astor.
Lady Astor most notably wore the Cartier Turquoise Tiara for the Premiere of ‘City Lights’ at the Dominion Theatre in London in 1931, sitting beside Charles Chaplin and George Bernard Shaw.
A prominent hostess at Cliveden and No. 4 St. James’s Square in London, Lady Astor was known for being a lavish hostess, though she did have her enemies, including Sir Winston Churchill, with whom she had this famous exchange with Lady saying, “If I was your wife, I would poison your coffee,” and Sir Winston snorted back, “If I were your husband, I would drink it.” Lady Astor’s maid described:
Apart from the Sancy diamond and the pearls, the other special pieces of jewellery were the tiaras. Her ladyship had five. The most beautiful and valuable was the Astor heirloom, the second was a bandeau of diamonds and pearls, the third aquamarines and diamonds, the fourth she bought herself — it was of spiky diamonds – and the fifth was an imitation of the first. It was used by her for the less important occasions and she also often lent it to her friends. All her most precious jewellery was expensive to wear because from the moment it left the bank until its return there was a special insurance premium in operation. Not that she ever stopped to think about that. She loved wearing it and she often used too much for my taste. She’d turn round to me and say, ‘How do I look, Rose?’ and I’d reply, ‘Haven’t you forgotten the kitchen stove, my lady?’ earning myself the customary, ‘Shut up, Rose!’
In the 1930s, Lady Astor loaned the Cartier Turquoise Tiara to her sister, the Hon. Mrs Robert Brand, for a Court Presentation at Buckingham Palace, pictured alongside Lady Astor (wearing her Cartier Tiara with the Sancy Diamond), her daughter, the Countess of Ancaster, and niece, Nancy Tree.
The Cartier Turquoise Tiara was next worn by Lady Astor’s granddaughter, Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, now the 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, for the Coronation Gala at Covent Garden in 1953, after she had served as a Maid of Honour at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
While the Sancy Diamond from the Astor Tiara is currently on display at the Louvre and her Diamond and Sapphire Necklace was given to her constituency of Plymouth, the fate of the Cartier Turquoise Tiara was unknown but has now been confirmed to have remained with the descendants of her youngest son, Sir Jakie Astor.
This exceptionally rare tiara, having come from the collection of Nancy Astor, and by descent to the present owner, will be seen on the market for the first time since it was sold to Lord Astor by Cartier London in 1930.
Cartier produced another carved Turquoise Tiara in 1936 for Lady Astor’s aforementioned sister, which now belongs to the Cartier Collection. We saw that Tiara in Dallas in 2022, and most recently at the Louvre Abu Dhabi last year, which is currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Inspired by this exquisite Cartier jewel, Nancy’s brother-in-law, the Hon. Robert Henry Brand (1878-1963), commissioned Cartier to produce a similar turquoise and diamond tiara in 1935. It is this second tiara that is currently on display at the V&A museum’s landmark Cartier exhibition.
Now, Lady Astor’s Cartier Turquoise Tiara is going on Auction at Bonhams in the London Jewels Fine Jewellery Auction on June 5, with an estimate of £250,000-350,000. Jean Ghika, Bonhams Global Head of Jewellery, commented:
“London Jewels features an impressive selection of jewellery, but undoubtedly, the star of the sale is the Astor turquoise and diamond tiara by Cartier, formerly in the collection of Nancy, Viscountess Astor. Cartier has long been recognised 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 were at the height of their creative prowess. Cartier were later commissioned to produce a similar tiara for Nancy’s sister. However, the design of Nancy Astor’s tiara is truly unique. The distinctive plumes, leaves and scrolls carved in turquoise were drawn from Egyptian, Indian and Persian motifs, which were extensively explored by Cartier throughout the early 20th century. The firm’s Eastern inspired jewels became hugely fashionable as a result. The tiara hasn’t been seen on the market since Lord Astor purchased it from Cartier in 1930. 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 Royal Watcher Team was lucky to be invited to view the Tiara at Bonhams in London earlier this week, before the Auction was made public. A great thank you to the Bonhams Jewellery Department!
The Tiara will be on display at Bonhams in New York and Hong Kong before returning to London ahead of the Auction.
The Astor Tiara | Cartier Turquoise Tiara | Diamond and Sapphire Necklace
The Astor Tiara
Cartier Turquoise Tiara
Diamond and Sapphire Necklace
Ancaster Heathcote Tiara
Cartier Turquoise Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Palmette Tiara
Devonshire Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Rivière
Devonshire Parure
Ruby Clasp
Craven Brooch
Insect Brooches
Devonshire Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Rivière
Ruby Clasp
Wellington Tiara
Diamond Earrings
Diamond Tassel Earrings
Bagration Spinel Tiara
Rosebery Tiara
Diamond Necklace
Westminster Myrtle Wreath Tiara
Diamond Fringe Tiara
Duchess of Buccleuch’s Tiaras
Northumberland Tiara
Duchess of Sutherland’s Tiara
Duchess of Bedford’s Tiaras
Marlborough Tiara
Portland Tiara
Duchess of Norfolk’s Sapphire Necklace
Rutland Tiara
Argyll Tiara
Manchester Tiara
Dufferin Tiara
Bath Tiara
Milford Haven Ruby Kokoshnik
Duchess of Devonshire’s Tiaras
Devonshire Parure
Ruby Clasp
Craven Brooch
Insect Brooches
