Today marks the Anniversary of the death of Princess Beatrice, who died on this day in 1944. The youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, she possessed some beautiful jewels, including Queen Victoria’s Sunray Fringe Tiara and Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara, including her Diamond Pampilles.
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Featuring five diamond ‘pampilles’ (fringes) suspended from diamond stars, the provenance of the pieces are unknown but Princess Beatrice notably wore them with Queen Victoria’s Sunray Fringe Tiara at the Coronation of her nephew, King George V, in 1911.
At some point, possibly soon after her death, the Diamond Pampilles were sold and were unknown until possibly two of them were later sold at auction at Sotheby’s in London in 2003 for £33,850, when they were acquired by socialite Cecile Zilkha, who wore the Pampilles as earrings. It is not known if these
The Diamond Pampilles again appeared at auction at Sotheby’s in New York this April, where it was estimated to sell for between $25,000 and $35,000 but it appears the sale did not go ahead due to the ongoing pandemic. UPDATE- The Earrings will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York City in December 2020.
