The jewels were purchased for Ann at Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris during 1938 by her husband, Lord O’Neill of Shanes Castle. Since the summer of 1936, Ann had been having an affair with Esmond Harmsworth, not yet Lord Rothermere, who would become her second husband, and later with Ian Fleming, who would become her third husband.

When Ann heard that her then husband, Lord O'Neill, was going to go to Paris for a weekend with Maureen Dufferin and Ava, the Guinness heiress and a neighbour in Northern Ireland, she insisted on coming along too. When her husband complained that it would make them uneven numbers, she decided to bring her lover Esmond Harmworth along too.

To give this odd party some respectability, Nancy and John Hare (later Lord Blakenham) were invited. Nancy wrote a poem about it called A Weekend in Paris. Over the course of this weekend something happened: Ann decided, as Nancy put it, ‘to vamp her husband.’ There was a rapprochement and this short-lived reconciliation was celebrated by the gift of these jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels from Lord O’Neill to his wife Ann. The lover and the mistress were then, as expressed in Nancy’s poem, ‘put upon their mettle,’ which resulted in Esmond presenting Maureen with diamond clips from Cartier in Paris, and in the final happening, Esmond was induced to present Ann with diamond clips from Cartier in London.

In Nancy’s poem Ann is lightly disguised as Jane. The final couplet goes: ‘Dear Jane, I think gets all the Laurels, Altho’ I can’t applaud her morals.’

Each piece is designed as a flower head with cushion shaped yellow sapphire petals and circular cut sapphire cluster centre to polished gold leaves. The brooch is further adorned with sapphire accents and intricately designed leaves encrusted with diamonds, enhancing its elegance and sophistication.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

VIEWING IN LONDON
Tuesday 3 June: 10am–4pm
Wednesday 4 June: 10am–4pm

VIEWING IN NEWBURY
Sunday 8 June: 10am-3pm
Monday 9 June: 10am-4pm
Tuesday 10 June: 10am-4pm
Wednesday 11 June: 10am-4pm

FURTHER INFORMATION:
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | jsw@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com