2nd Edit: I changed "July 1895" above to "June 1895". I am learning that I need to proof read my posts thoroughly before I hit the post button.
There appears to be consensus that the necklace originally belonged to the Duchess d'Aumale, that it was given by the then widowed Duc to Princess Helene for her wedding in June 1895, and that at some stage it was acquired by the Marchioness.
In the reports of the wedding gifts given to Princess Helene, the Duc d'Aumale is said to have given her a necklace and tiara of diamonds and emeralds but, as I have not found photos or sketches of the Duc's gift, it is impossible to say if this tiara was part of his gift. I think it is highly likely to have been. EDIT: I was incorrect. According to the writer of the Lot Essay on the Christie's site https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/jewelry/an-historic-early-19th-century-emerald-and-5945861-details.aspx both the necklace and the tiara were the gifts of the Duc d'Aumale.
So far I have not found a photo showing the Marchioness of Cholmondeley wearing the tiara. (She seems to have been intensely private where her jewels were concerned) Nor have I yet found references to her wearing emeralds.
There is, however, a photo of the Marchioness wearing the necklace.
So, when might the jewels have been acquired by the Marchioness? All that the writer of the "Lot Essay" on the Christie's site https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/jewelry/an-historic-early-19th-century-emerald-and-5945861-details.aspx said was that the necklace changed hands following WWI and sometime in the 20th century.
Nevertheless, it is possible to say that the Marchioness owned the necklace by, at the latest, November 1930 based on the photo above.
The photo above was taken at the same sitting as the one below, which was published in the Sketch 26 November 1930. Only the necklaces are different.
I suspect that, without access to material in either the Chomondeley or Aosta archives, it will be impossible to date the sale precisely. But further photographic evidence may yet narrow the date range.
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