Van Cleef & Arpels Sapphire and Diamond Jewels from the Ann Fleming Estate
Fine Jewellery | Thursday 12 June 2025
On Thursday, 12 June, our sister company Dreweatts will be holding its Fine Jewellery auction. A standout highlight is a stunning Van Cleef & Arpels yellow sapphire and diamond brooch, accompanied by a matching pair of earrings. These exquisite pieces once belonged to Ann Fleming, the wife of literary icon, Ian Fleming, who is best known as the creator of the legendary spy, James Bond.
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Lot 226: Van Cleef & Arpels, a sapphire, yellow sapphire and diamond 'Passe Partout' brooch and earrings, circa 1938 | Est. £15,000-20,000 (+ fees)
The jewels were purchased for Ann at Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris during 1938 by her husband of the time Lord O’Neill of Shanes Castle. Since the summer of 1936 Ann had been having an affair with Esmond Harmsworth, not yet Lord Rothermere, who would become her second husband, and later with Ian Fleming, who would become her third husband.
When Ann heard that her first husband was going to go to Paris for a weekend with Maureen Dufferin and Ava, the Guinness heiress and a neighbour in Northern Ireland, she insisted on coming along too. When her husband complained that it would make them uneven numbers, she decided to bring her lover Esmond Harmworth along too.
When Ann heard that her first husband was going to go to Paris for a weekend with Maureen Dufferin and Ava, the Guinness heiress and a neighbour in Northern Ireland, she insisted on coming along too. When her husband complained that it would make them uneven numbers, she decided to bring her lover Esmond Harmworth along too.
A photograph of Ann
To give this odd party some respectability, Nancy and John Hare (later Lord Blakenham) were invited. Nancy wrote a poem about it called A Weekend in Paris. Over the course of this weekend something happened: Ann decided, as Nancy put it, ‘to vamp her husband.’ There was a rapprochement and this short-lived reconciliation was celebrated by the gift of these jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels from Lord O’Neill to his wife Ann. The lover and the mistress were then, as expressed in Nancy’s poem, ‘put upon their mettle,’ which resulted in Esmond presenting Maureen with diamond clips from Cartier in Paris, and in the final happening, Esmond was induced to present Ann with diamond clips from Cartier in London.
In Nancy’s poem Ann is lightly disguised as Jane. The final couplet goes: ‘Dear Jane, I think gets all the Laurels, Altho’ I can’t applaud her morals.’
In Nancy’s poem Ann is lightly disguised as Jane. The final couplet goes: ‘Dear Jane, I think gets all the Laurels, Altho’ I can’t applaud her morals.’
Lot 226: Van Cleef & Arpels, a sapphire, yellow sapphire and diamond 'Passe Partout' brooch and earrings, circa 1938 | Est. £15,000-20,000 (+ fees)
Each piece is designed as a flower head with cushion shaped yellow sapphire petals and circular cut sapphire cluster centre to polished gold leaves. The brooch is further adorned with sapphire accents and intricately designed leaves encrusted with diamonds, enhancing its elegance and sophistication.
Auction Details
Thursday 12 June 2025, 10:30am BST
Auction Location: Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
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Viewing in London
Dreweatts London, 16-17 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5LU
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2JE
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | jsw@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com
Auction Location: Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
Browse the auction »
Viewing in London
Dreweatts London, 16-17 Pall Mall, St James’s, London SW1Y 5LU
- Tuesday 3 June: 10am-4pm
- Wednesday 4 June: 10am-4pm
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2JE
- Sunday 8 June: 10am-3pm
- Monday 9 June: 10am-4pm
- Tuesday 10 June: 10am-4pm
- Wednesday 11 June: 10am-4pm
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | jsw@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com
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Timeless Literature by Celebrated Authors at Auction: Ian Fleming
English author, journalist, and former naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming is best known as the creator of the greatest fictional spy hero, James Bond. Drawing heavily on his wartime experiences, Fleming crafted a character that would captivate readers and later, moviegoers, around the world. In 1952, while staying at his Jamaican retreat, Goldeneye, he penned his first Bond novel, ‘Casino Royale’, introducing the world to the suave and unflinching British secret agent, 007. Over the next twelve years, Fleming wrote eleven more novels and two short story collections, including classics like Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and Dr. No. Read on to discover more about Ian Fleming and explore some of his works that have sold at Forum Auctions.Auctions
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