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Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses. Posted by Maria Olivia on November 22, 2019, 8:46 pm On Novemner 27 th Christies will sell 2 jewels belonging to Empress Eugenie . Their Estilation are law and sold much more. Are the sellers or in money need or don't need to wear great jewels anymore ? What do you think??

Re: Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses. Posted by Beth on November 23, 2019, 8:27 am, in reply to "Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses." I know nothing about the family which is selling the jewels. Perhaps there was a recent death which has necessitated a sale so that all get an equal share of the value of an estate. Perhaps it is simply that the jewels are not worn, perhaps the owner wants to buy something else or invest money more profitably. I can think of many possibilities.

Look at the Westminsters... Posted by Janet on November 23, 2019, 9:47 pm, in reply to "Re: Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses." They are Britain's richest noble family by far but even they have sold off significant jewels in the past two decades. There are pictures of the now Dowager Duchess wearing huge jewels (the Bagration necklace, the Rosebery tiara) in the 1980s, however she then either stopped attending those kinds of events or they dried up. I suppose a lot of these family's will always keep a tiara or two to wear at weddings but they don't need a huge collection of jewels, and even if the families were hugely wealthy like the Westminsters, they may be very conscious that if they can get £500k for a tiara they would rather invest that money, as opposed to keeping it in a vault for 20 years at a time.

Re: Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses. Posted by Maria Olivia on November 25, 2019, 12:16 am, in reply to "Re: Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses." The Royal or Noble jewels Buyers nowadays pay huge amounts. You are right Janet the sellers prefer invest in things they need or love. Most of them remain unknown. Previous Message I know nothing about the family which is selling the jewels. Perhaps there was a recent death which has necessitated a sale so that all get an equal share of the value of an estate. Perhaps it is simply that the jewels are not worn, perhaps the owner wants to buy something else or invest money more profitably. I can think of many possibilities.

Re: Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses. Posted by Sam (The Beau Monde) on November 25, 2019, 1:07 am, in reply to "Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses." The thing is, the days of wearing tiaras and full evening dress have been over since the Second World War. Not only did the aristocracy start paying taxes for the first time ever but the social scene (especially in London) changed dramatically. People were going to nightclubs instead of grand house parties. They also stopped the debutante season so there were even less reasons to keep these magnificent jewels they had no occasion to wear them to. Other than the state opening of parliament or a coronation, there isn't the need for the aristocracy to keep them.

Inflated prices Posted by Janet on November 25, 2019, 3:39 am, in reply to "Re: Why suddenly Royal and Noble jewels are sold in Auction Houses." I think the prices of vintage jewels with royal/noble provenance has shot up in the past decade or two as Middle Eastern and Chinese investors have flooded the market. It must be a tricky situation for an English Earl or a minor royal who has a tiara in the vault that they last wore in the 1970s and is potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds or dollars but at the same time can't afford to fix the leaking roof. Didn't the Duchess of Alba sell a grand tiara to buy her son a horse? Previous Message The thing is, the days of wearing tiaras and full evening dress have been over since the Second World War. Not only did the aristocracy start paying taxes for the first time ever but the social scene (especially in London) changed dramatically. People were going to nightclubs instead of grand house parties. They also stopped the debutante season so there were even less reasons to keep these magnificent jewels they had no occasion to wear them to. Other than the state opening of parliament or a coronation, there isn't the need for the aristocracy to keep them.

Re: Inflated prices. Duchess of Alba Posted by Beth on November 25, 2019, 8:22 am, in reply to "Inflated prices" Our fellow poster, ErikS, has an interesting item on the sale of this tiara. At the time he wrote the article the jewel was for sale in New York. Erik Schoonhoven. http://www.erikschoonhoven.nl/royal-jewels/alba-my-tiara-for-a-horse/

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