Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who was born on this day in 1900! The vivacious Heiress who married Prince Philip’s ambitious uncle and lived an uninhibited life before serving with distinction in WWII and becoming the last Vicereine of India, Lady Mountbatten had a fascinating life and quite a lovely jewellery collection, which included this spectacular 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
