Above: A gold tiara set with emeralds and diamonds in silver, from the French Crown jewels. It was made by Evrard and Frédéric Bapst between September 1819 and July 1820 for the Duchesse d’Angoulême, daughter of Louis XVI. Made up in part from stones from the crown collection, it was a favourite of Empress Eugénie. The tiara was sold at auction by the French government in 1887. WARTSKI PHOTOGRAPH Right: A model posed to show some of the best jewels in stock at Wartski. She is wearing the impressive diamond tiara/necklace subsequently bought by Lord Lambton. After Lord Lambton purchased the jewel, Lady Lambton wore it off its frame, as a necklace, in the photograph by Cecil Beaton on the facing page. Facing page: Lady Lambton (née Belinda (Bindy) Blew Jones) (19212003) wearing the diamond necklace, convertible to a tiara, bought by her husband at Wartski with no less than six bracelets and a diamond ring. She was also the owner of the magnificent emerald and diamond tiara illustrated above. Belinda Lambton is also shown wearing an impressive array of gemset bracelets. She often wore the emerald tiara from the French Crown jewels with matching plastic earrings known as the “sham emeralds”. Famous for her eccentricity, Belinda was the wife of the Conservative Defence Minister, Lord Lambton (19222006), and the mother of the television presenter, Lady Lucinda Lambton. The emerald tiara was kept in Wartski’s safe for many years before it was lent to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Shortly before Lord Lambton’s death it was sold to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. CECIL BEATON/SOTHEBY’S
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