Mountbatten Art Deco Diamond Necklace

Happy Birthday to Lady Pamela Hicks, who turns 91 today! The younger daughter of Lord Mountbatten, first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen’s bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting, who married a influential interior designer, Lady Pamela has had a fascinating life, and after featuring the Hicks Tiara she reportedly still owns and the Mountbatten Tiara, which she doesn’t, today we are taking a look at another illustrious jewel no longer in her possession, the Mountbatten Art Deco Diamond Necklace-

Mountbatten Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Pearl Star Tiara | Art Deco Diamond Necklace | Emerald Necklace | Diamond Floral Necklace | Diamond Bow Brooch

This striking Art Deco Diamond Platinum Chain is thought to be a redesign created by Lady Mountbatten from an earlier piece from her late mother in the 1930s. The long Chain could be divided up into a shorter necklace and two bracelets.

The Art Deco Diamond Necklace was worn by Lady Mountbatten with the Mountbatten Tiara and her Emerald Necklace for a spectacular series of portraits taken by Yevonde around the time of the Coronation of King George VI ad Queen Elizabeth in 1937, when multiple configurations were worn, as a Necklace and also as Bracelets.

Lady Mountbatten more frequently wore the Art Deco Diamond Bracelets for portraits, like when she paired them with the Pearl and Diamond Tiara for portraits taken by Cecil Beaton in 1937, or with her Emerald Necklace for those taken by Cecil Beaton during the Second World War.

Countess Mountbatten most notably wore the Art Deco Diamond Necklace in a series of official portraits taken to mark her husband’s appointment as the last Viceroy of India, after which he was made Earl Mountbatten of Burma, paired with the Mountbatten Tiara, and just the necklace itself during the Viceroy’s tenure.

After their return to Britain in 1950, Lady Mountbatten continued to wear her Art Deco Diamond Necklace on numerous society occasions, including for the Danish State Visit to Britain in 1951, with both her Mountbatten Tiara and her Pearl and Diamond Tiara.

Countess Mountbatten died soon after her younger daughter’s wedding in 1960, and the necklace was inherited by Lady Pamela. While she was no longer the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Pamela and her husband, influential interior designer David Hicks, had a very busy social life in the 1960s and 1970s, and she had wore the Art Deco Diamond Necklace and the Bracelets with the Mountbatten Tiara on a variety of occasions and a series of striking portraits.

Another appearance of the Mountbatten Tiara and Art Deco Diamond Necklace came for a Dinner at Britwell House, home of Lady Pamela and David Hicks, ahead of a Ball at Luton Hoo in the 1960s.

In 1978, Lady Pamela put the  Art Deco Diamond Necklace up for Auction, where it sold for $71 000. The current whereabouts are unknown but Lady Pamela did talk about the Necklace in an Instagram Live with her daughter, India, in 2020.

Mountbatten Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Pearl Star Tiara | Art Deco Diamond Necklace | Emerald Necklace | Diamond Floral Necklace | Diamond Bow Brooch

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Mountbatten Tiara

Pearl and Diamond Tiara

Pearl Star Tiara

Art Deco Diamond Necklace

Emerald Necklace

Diamond Floral Necklace

Diamond Bow Brooch

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7lHvK6HtVR/

An Art Deco Diamond Platinum Chain is thought to be a contemporary redesign of an earlier piece from her late mother by the then Lady Louis Mountbatten, a wealthy Heiress, in the 1920s and 1930s. The longer Chain can be divided up into a shorter necklace and two bracelets.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

The Art Deco Diamond Necklace was worn by Lady Mountbatten most notably in a series of official portraits taken to mark her husband’s appointment as the last Viceroy of India, after which he was made Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and was often worn as a necklace with the Mountbatten Tiara and her Pearl and Diamond Tiara, though the bracelets were frequently worn . Lady Mountbatten died soon after her younger daughter’s wedding in 1960, and the necklace was inherited by Lady Pamela.

While she was no longer the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Pamela and her husband, influential interior designer David Hicks, had a very busy social life in the 1960s and 1970s, and she had wore the Art Deco Diamond Necklace and the Mountbatten Tiara for a plethora of events and portraits, until the Necklace was sold at Auction for $71 000 in 1978. The current whereabouts are unknown but Lady Pamela recently talked about the Necklace in an Instagram Live with her daughter, India.

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3 thoughts on “Mountbatten Art Deco Diamond Necklace

  1. It never ceases to amaze me that people who despise royalty and the aristocracy are always reading and giving their foul opinions on royalty blogs!

    Lady Pamela is a lovely lady who, as far as I know, has enjoyed a very full and interesting life. She has witnessed many historical events and has met many historic personages. She’s no doubt retired from the kinds of events for which she would need such an excellent necklace and has decided to use the money she could get from it instead, a very sensible decision indeed. I congratulate her on achieving such a great age and wish her joy!

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