Christie's presents jewellery to celebrate Valentine's Day in its auctions

The Love For Wedding Gifts

This Fabergé tiara was a wedding gift from Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin to his bride Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland. But it arrived too late for the big day, and Princess Alexandra had to wear the traditional Hanoverian nuptial crown. The special wedding gift arrived a month later and during the Court Ball organized by the city of Schwerin on 8 July, Princess Alexandra wore the aquamarine tiara for the first time. This elegant headpiece, adorned with forget-me-not flowers and cupid’s arrows, represents an emblematic token of love.

The Love For Languages

This magnificent stone originally adorned the Maharaja of Kapurthala’s most prized elephant, until Anita Delgado admired it. Subsequently, it was set into this wonderful Belle Epoque brooch a Belle Epoque emerald and diamond brooch highlighting the Columbian crescent-shaped emerald  and given as a present to Anita on her nineteenth birthday, as a reward for learning Urdu, by her husband, the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. Anita often wore this brooch as a forehead ornament at official events and when sitting for formal portraits.

Who Doesn’t Love Harry?

The Winston Pink Legacy was not the first diamond Nayla Hayek bought for the Harry Winston Legacy  Collection, initiated to honour Harry Winston and his legacy as one of the most important jewellers of the 20^th Century.  Just after the auction in 2018 she commented: "As the King of Diamonds, Harry Winston is known for its unwavering commitment to the rarest, most exceptional gemstones. This is a reputation the brand has upheld for nearly a century and one we are proud to continue today,”

In 250 years of auction history, only four Fancy Vivid pink diamonds of more than 10 carats had ever appeared in the saleroom. The Pink Legacy weighed in at a phenomenal 18.96 carats.

The Love For A Daughter-In-Law

Inherited from Catherine the Great, passing through the hands of five Tsars, the emerald and diamond brooch was given in 1874 by Tsar Alexander II to Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (who became Maria Pavlovna, Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia), on the occasion of her wedding to his son, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia.

Locks Of Love

This historic royal jewel given to Eugénie, The Last Empress Of France, by Napoleon III, was not designed for a grand court occasion but as personal emblem of romance and love. The heart-shaped locket is dated to around 1850-60, and reveals on the back of the locket the true sentiment of love: a glazed compartment containing a lock of hair reputedly belonging to her husband Napoleon Ill. From the beginning of her reign in 1853, Empress Eugénie did much to enhance the reputation of French haute joaillerie, which at that time inspired the whole of Europe. Her love of jewellery being legendary, she had many Crown jewels remounted to suit her personal taste and also commissioned new pieces from the most famous jewellers in Paris including Bapst and Chaumet.