Wednesday 22nd October 2025

More and more I am like Royalty: back-to-back functions, three minutes to change in between.

Cartier was last Wednesday morning. To actually gaze on the Williamson Pink Diamond brooch, which she wore at the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana in 1981. And Wallis’s collection. She bagged the most distinctive: a whole jewelled tiger to be pinned on or a flamingo.

Jewels rocket in interest according to whom they have belonged. The Portland tiara, made for the Duchess of Portland to wear at the Coronation of Edward V11 was nowhere to be seen – because it was stolen in 2018 and apparently destroyed. It was seen by me, Adrian Edge, at the Tiaras Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum many years ago, when Debo wrote the piece in the Graph about it which started, ‘What are tiaras for?’ – the best opening of any newspaper article ever.

The Cartier pieces are remarkable for their fineness. Who knew that sheets of rock crystal could be used to give a gauze-like backing to the setting? One tiara was so delicate it could have been airborne.

But big rocks are unavoidable. The Maharajah has a very fine emerald on his finger always. But here the emeralds looked like boiled sweets or lumps of plastic even. Another discovery was the vanity case: a tiny jewelled box for no apparent purpose, perhaps, as declared, a vanity case. Cartier did them in different styles, including Japanese.

The exhib was thrilling but shattering. The film of another Maharajah wearing some of the jewels on display at a coronation of himself he thought it vital to stage in 1940 during World War shows that massive quantities of diamonds suit a man very well.

If this was the point of having the Coronation it was thoroughly worthwhile.

After luncheon at the Museum I was propelled with ferocity to Frieze Art Fayre, Regent’s Park for the Private View at 3pm.

If Royston were ever not to get this card, I think I’d die. Death would really be the only choice. What other excuse could be contrived for not being there? Since not being there would be Death anyway, you can see there’s no escape.

Come back later for more… come back later to find out what happened at Frieze Art Fayre Wednesday Private View