RARE EARLY 20TH CENTURY KASHMIR SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND BROOCH, CIRCA 1900
With an estimate of €200,000-300,000 this is one of two Kashmir sapphires at the sale of fine jewellery and ladies watches by James Adam in Dublin on September 9. The 8.24 carat stone is accompanied by reports from laboratories in Switzerland and London stating that it is of Kashmir origin with no indications of heating. What sets Kashmir sapphires apart is their colour: often described as cornflower blue or blue velvet, their rich yet soft appearance is caused in part by minute internal particles scattering the light, a natural effect that adds a gentle glow to the stone. Many contain delicate inclusions that, rather than detract, lend character and depth, allowing their beauty to remain vivid in all kinds of light, a trait that few sapphires share. The Kashmir stone is considered the very finest, surpassing even the best from Burma or Ceylon.
There is a distinguished Irish American provenance. Benjamin Aymar Sands (1853-1917) and his wife Amy Kirby Akin (1850-1934) of 43 East 18th Street, New York gifted it to their daughter May Emily Sands (1879-1941) to celebrate her 1908 marriage to the Hon. Hugh Melville Howard (1883-1919) younger son of the 6th Earl of Wicklow (1842-1891) and Fanny Catherine Wingfield (1860-1914); by descent to their daughter Katharine Frances Howard (1910-1990) of Shelton Abbey, Co, Wicklow and Ounavarra House, Co. Wexford; godmother to the present owner.
The idyll of married life was not to last, as Hugh died of pneumonia at a young age and May developed psychological problems and had to be institutionalised. Their two children Katharine and Cecil went to live with their uncle the 7th Earl of Wicklow at Shelton Abbey and spent holidays with their adoring grandmother Amy Sands. Katharine remained in Ireland and purchased Ounavarra House, Co. Wexford, where she farmed.
A c1905 Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch from the sale collection is estimated at €150,000-250,000. It weighs 6.53 carats.
RARE EARLY 20TH CENTURY SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND BROOCH, CIRCA 1905