Elegant early 20th century pearl necklaces belonging to Russian-born aristocrat the Duchess of Abercorn who was a descendant of Alexander Pushkin fetch £375,000 at auction
- Duchess of Abercorn’s three natural pearl necklace fetched £375,000 at auction
- She is eldest daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Phillips and his wife Georgina Wernher
- Inherited through family from great grandmother Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz
The Duchess of Abercorn’s elegant 20th-century pearl necklaces surpassed the pre-sale estimate of £175,000-200,000, and sold for £375,000 when they went up for auction at Christie’s in London.
Anglo-Russian Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, who was the eldest daughter of Lt.-Col. Harold Phillips and his wife Georgina Wernher, inherited the three natural pearl necklaces through the family from her great grandmother Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz.
Alice married Julius Charles Werner in June 1888, who displayed great business acumen buying and exporting diamonds from the Kimberley mines in South Africa.
Eventually, eventually acquired a controlling interest in De Beers Consolidated he and was created a baronet in 1905, and went on to amass an impressive art collection with his fortune.
The Duchess of Abercorn’s pearls surpassed the pre-sale estimate of £175,000-200,000, and sold for £375,000 when they went up for auction at Christie’s. Pictured, wedding of Marquis Of Hamilton to Sacha Phillips at Westminster Abbey in 1966
The three antique natural pearl and diamond necklaces which fetched an impressed £375,000
Counting the Imperial Royal Family and author Alexander Pushkin as her ancestors, it’s little surprise that the Duchess of Abercorn, who was born on 27 February 1946, boasted a stunning array of artworks and jewellery from her grandparents’ homeland.
Her maternal grandmother was Countess Anastasia de Torby, otherwise known as Lady Zia Werner, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie Merenberg, Countess de Torby.
The Grand Duke was stripped of his titles and banished from Russia after he eloped with Countess Sophie.
The couple, whose collection of treasures was inherited by the Duchess of Abercorn via her mother, Lady Zia Wernher – their eldest daughter – remained in London where they lived at Kenwood House.
The Duchess of Abercorn inherited the threes natural pearl necklaces through the family from her great grandmother Alice Sedgwick Mankiewicz. Pictured, close up of the fastenings for one of the three necklaces
The pre-sale estmate for the antique jewellery was around £175,000-200,000 (pictured)
Sacha, as she was known to family and friends, was a keen philanthropist and founder of the Pushkin prize and the Pushkin Trust, named after her ancestor.
The famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was her great-great-great grandfather through her maternal grandmother Countess Anastasia de Torby.
He accumulated great wealth and an important art collection which was kept at his London home in Piccadilly and at his country house Luton Hoo.
After his death, his widow Alice, Lady Wernher, remarried on 25th September 1919 to Henry Lopes, 2nd Baron Ludlow and became known as Lady Ludlow.
Her maternal grandmother was Countess Anastasia de Torby, otherwise known as Lady Zia Werner, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie Merenberg, Countess de Torby. Pictured left: Countess Sophie De Torby and right, Grand Duke Michael Mikailovich of Russia
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