Diana and the Swan Lake Suite

The Crown Jeweler

At a little after midnight on August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was tragically killed. The story of her death is well known and need not be repeated here. My involvement with Diana though, began about a year and a half later. As the head of Guernsey’s, I was accustomed to receiving interesting, auction-related phone calls. But the call that came amid a raging New York City snowstorm was far more special than most. On the line were two men, an English lord and the British Crown Jeweler, the person responsible for maintaining, in the Tower of London among other places, the precious jewels of Britain’s Royalty. Tradition had it that the Crown Jeweler was selected from amongst the heads of that nation’s most prestigious jewelers, and so it was that the Crown Jeweler was also the president of Garrard.

Princess of Wales

The Crown Jeweler explained that in the spring of 1997, he was working closely with Diana. The goal was to produce a simple but stunning necklace and pair of matching earrings consistent with the Princess of Wales’ elegant image. Indeed, Garrard had scoured the world in search of just the right diamonds and South Sea pearls with which to create the anticipated set.

The Necklace

In May of 1997, the completed necklace was described in jewelers’ terms as follows: “A brilliant cut diamond and marquise diamond scroll motif center with a South Sea cultured pearl five stone and marquise diamond fringe drop, to a brilliant cut two row collet back chain tapering to a single row; mounted in platinum, claw set with an integral claw clasp.” The necklace contained five matching cultured South Sea pearls, 12mm; eleven marquise diamonds , 7.71 carats; three marquise diamonds, 0.88 carat; one hundred and sixty-four diamonds, 42.35 carats.

In layman’s terms, it was…”beautiful.”

Swan Lake @ London’s Royal Albert Hall

Princess Diana had had a lifetime love affair with dance. And so it was that at that season’s premier gala performance of Swan Lake at London’s Royal Albert Hall, she was named “Patron of the English National Ballet.” Though she had often been seen in designs by Versace, Ungaro, Cerruti, Moschino, Lacroix and Valentino, Diana expressed her newfound independence through fashion. Never forgetting her British roots, for the Swan Lake performance she chose an ice-blue, silk Georgette shift dress featuring hand-beaded crystal bugle beads set off by “Hepburn-esque” bows on the straps. The dress was created for her by British designer Jacques Azagury. A short hemline, opalescent hose and high heels by Jimmy Choo accentuated her long, slender legs. The whole outfit complemented the stunning, newly created diamond and South Sea pearl necklace she wore for the first, and sadly, only time.

Tragedy Struck.

It is believed that other than on her wedding day, more photographs of the Princess of Wales were taken on that June 3rd evening than on any other occasion. Pictures appeared everywhere. The necklace, a marvelous success. But in the rush to complete his work in time for Swan Lake, the jeweler had not finished fabricating the matching earrings. The earrings worn at the ballet were a pair she already owned. So, after the event, the jeweler requested the necklace back. He was determined to make the stones all perfectly match. After all, this was for Diana.
Less than three months later, the completed set consisting of the necklace and matching earrings – which came to be known as the “Swan Lake Suite” – was about to be returned to Diana when tragedy struck.

Diana’s Secret Lover

It could be said that grieving for Diana has never stopped. It was certainly with great sadness that the Crown Jeweler told me, not only the background of the jewels, but the fact that there had been an outstanding bill for their creation. “After all,” he said, “this was to have been a personal gift from a dear friend.” At the time, unconfirmed rumor had it that the “dear friend” was indeed Dodi Fayed who sadly died next to Diana.

The English Lord

Months after the tragedy, the Crown Jeweler telephoned one of Garrard’s best customers – the English lord who was on the original phone call with me. “Would you like to acquire the only jewelry worn by Diana that will ever be sold? ” he was asked. Thrilled by the opportunity, the lord immediately made the purchase, believing it to be the ultimate gift a husband could give his wife. And indeed, the lord’s wife was overwhelmed by the Suite. But in time, reality set in when the lady, recalling her girlhood schooldays with Diana Spencer, realized that she would never likely wear the Suite made for her old friend. And so it was that Guernsey’s was approached by the British Crown Jeweler and the English lord. With the acknowledgment of Diana’s family, Guernsey’s had been chosen to represent the only important jewelry of Princess Diana ever to be sold.

Park Avenue Armory: NYC

At an elegant event we conducted at the Park Avenue Armory, the Swan Lake Suite was successfully auctioned for six hundred thousand dollars to an American buyer. In Diana’s name, a portion of the proceeds benefitted UNICEF. A decade later, the buyer – possibly impacted by the 2008 financial crisis – asked us to resell the Swan Lake Suite. While preparing for this second opportunity with Diana’s jewels , which we ultimately sold privately to its current owner for a substantially greater amount, the New York Times scheduled a feature article about the precious Suite. However, a glitch arose when the paper, on a hot summer Friday afternoon, couldn’t find a suitable model to be pictured wearing the necklace and earrings. Hearing that the story was about to be scrapped, I suggested that my then high-school-age daughter might serve as a suitable fill-in. To this day, a Times photo of Rosie wearing Princess Diana’s extraordinary Swan Lake Suite hangs in my daughter’s bedroom.

Footnote: In 1975, Arlan Ettinger co-founded Guernsey’s. Since then, the auction house has become widely known for producing fascinating, often unprecedented events ranging from the sale of the ocean liner SS United States to the landmark Cold War auction of artwork from the Soviet Union and The John F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Elvis Presley, and Mickey Mantle auctions. Among the auction house’s recent events were the Dr. Hans Sachs Holocaust-related auction series and the unique sale of the Chelsea Hotel’s doors. The firm is currently preparing for the Nelson Mandela Auction.

GUERNSEY’S
65 East 93rd Street, New York City 10128, phone: 212 794 2280
guernseys.com, aettinger@guernseys.com