Gladys Deacon, the Duchess of Marlborough, who was born on this day in 1881, 145 years ago, owned Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Pearl Drop Tiara and also acquired this magnificent Art Deco Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir from Cartier in London 100 years ago, which has been auctioned at Christie’s three times over the past 50 years!
When Gladys Deacon married the Duke of Marlborough in 1921, the Duke’s former wife, the legendary Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough, had auctioned off her Boucheron Diamond Tiara while the Vanderbilt Boucheron Pearl Tiara had been given to her daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Blandford, so the Duke acquired Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Pearl Drop Tiara for the new Duchess.
A requirement of her new position was to accompany her husband to State ceremonies, such as the Opening of Parliament, and society weddings and balls. For these she had to be suitably attired, and during the 1920s and early ’30s she acquired some truly sensational jewels.
In 1926, the Duchess of Marlborough ordered this long Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir from Cartier in London composed of thirty-six graduated oval-shaped amethyst collets interspersed with twin rectangular-cut amethysts or twin diamond-set bar links, can be styled as a belt, or detached and worn as three necklaces of varying lengths.
The long chains of amethysts and diamonds were originally part of a sumptuous sautoir first ordered by Gladys in 1926 from Cartier, London. During this period, Cartier was creating wonderful interpretations of this extremely fashionable jewel. The first design of this sautoir was a long chain of oval amethysts connected by links of baton-shaped amethysts and diamonds, and the clasp was designed as an open circle set with calibré-cut turquoises and diamonds, connected by an amethyst-set fob attachment. From Cartier’s records, it is clear that the Marlboroughs supplied the 34 larger amethysts and four diamonds, previously set in a brooch. The turquoises and the baton-shaped amethysts, together with a further nearly 20 carats of diamonds were supplied by Cartier. The clasp of this sautoir, was sold as a brooch.
The following year, the Duchess of Marlborough was described wearing the Sautoir for a Ball given by Lady Fitzwilliam in Grosvenor Square during the London Season.
The Duchess of Marlborough wore a long, fish-tailed lavender satin dress, while her jewels consisted of her chain of and amethysts and diamonds fastened with turquoise brooch, and masses of Cartier bracelets in diamonds and other stones On her left wrist.
In 1928, Gladys had the sautoir altered yet again so it could be worn as a two row necklace together with detachable diamond panels.
The 1926 version of the amethyst and diamond sautoir by Cartier London. win the turquoise and diamond clasp, and the 1928 version with the two panels from the diamond bracelet which had been created by Chaumet in 1925.
The Duchess became a recluse after the mid-1930s and her jewels remained in the Bank Vault until sold by Christie’s in the “A Casket of Highly Important Jewels: The Property of the late Gladys Marie, Dowager Duchess of Marlborough” Sale in July 1978 in London, where the Cartier Art Deco Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir was lot 80.
After being auctioned in St Moritz in 1989, in 2003, the Cartier Art Deco Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir came up for Auction at Christie’s in New York from the Estate of Eleanor Searle Whitney McCollum, selling for USD 125,100 after an estimate of USD 50,000 – USD 70,000.
The jewel made its last appearance at auction in St Moritz in 1989 when again, although described as ‘spectacular’, it had been split into two lots and neither its provenance nor its creators were mentioned. In all its many forms. the sautoir was an exciting Cartier jewel.
A decade later, the Duchess of Marlborough’s Cartier Art Deco Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir came up for auction again, at Christie’s in Geneva, where it sold CHF 341,000.
The following year, the Duchess of Marlborough’s Cartier Art Deco Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir was on display at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, but it has not publicly appeared again.
Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Pearl Drop Tiara
Art Deco Amethyst and Diamond Sautoir
Marlborough Tiara
Boucheron Tiara
Duchess of Marlborough’s Pearl Necklace
Devonshire Diamond Palmette Tiara
Duchess of Devonshire’s Tiaras
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
Londonderry Tiara
Londonderry Amethyst Parure
Londonderry Pearl Parure
Londonderry Turquoise Parure
Londonderry Diamond Stomacher
Londonderry Emerald Parure
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Vladimir Tiara
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Belgian Sapphire Tiara
Burmese Ruby Tiara
Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
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