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Princess Diana’s Diamond

and Pearl Necklace at Auction

[Town & Country, www.Guernseys.com] In June 1997, Princess
Diana went to the British National Ballet’s gala performance of Swan
Lake. Little did anyone know at the time that it would be one of her
final public appearances.
Diana looked glamorous
in a sparkling Jacques
Azagury minidress and
Jimmy Choo pumps for the
occasion, but the star of her
outfit was a custom-made
South Sea pearl necklace by
the Crown Jeweler—who
also was the Director of the
centuries-old jewelry firm,
Garrard—who created the
necklace (and a matching
set of earrings, which were
not finished at the time)
based on designs by
Princess Diana herself.
Indeed, it has been said that
the Princess of Wales—who was also England’s Patron of Dance—was
photographed more often on that occasion than at any other time of
her life, with the exception of her wedding day.
Within days following the ballet, the Crown Jeweler requested the
necklace back. In a rush to finish the jewelry, he had not completed the
earrings. Because this was for Diana, he knew that matching the dia-
monds and South Sea pearls was critical. In order to create the earrings
to match, he needed the necklace in hand.
Through the summer of that year, the earrings, containing many
more diamonds and pearls, were indeed finished. Along with the
necklace, the set became known as the Swan Lake Suite. Sadly, however,
just as the Crown Jeweler was about to present the complete Suite to
Diana, she was tragically killed.
While the world wept, the Crown Jeweller was faced with a dilemma.
The Suite was to have been a gift from Dodi Fayed who sadly perished
alongside Diana. Accordingly, nearly two years after the tragedy,
Diana’s family authorized the Crown Jeweler to sell the Suite. A por-
tion of the proceeds were dedicated to UNICEF and its efforts to ban
landmines, a cause Diana passionately supported. Per the auction
house, “It is the general belief that these may well be the only substan-
tial jewels worn by Diana that will ever be sold.”
Now known as the “Swan Lake Suite,” the necklace and earrings
will be up for auction by Gurernsey’s next month. “Diana was a girl
when she was a princess,” Guernsey president Arlan Ettinger told
Women’s Wear Daily. “She was wearing borrowed material, then she
blossomed into a tower of strength and became very much her own, so
designing a necklace was a statement for her.”
The Suite features 178
diamonds and five 12mm
South Sea pearls, and the
earrings feature two match-
ing cultured pearls and six
diamonds. The current
owner of the set is Mark
Ginzburg, a Ukrainian real
estate developer. The jewels,
he told The New York
Times, “were never some-
thing to be worn. They
were really something that
was supposed to be iconic
and treasured.”
The Swan Lake Suite
will be up for auction by
Guernsey’s on June 27 at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. For more
information visit www.guernseys.com/v2/Princess_Diana.html

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