Jennifer Tonkin
Co-Head of Department UK
Lot 82Ω
VAN CLEEF AND ARPELS: CULTURED PEARL AND DIAMOND NECKLACE, CIRCA 1960
11 December 2025, 10:30 GMT
London, New Bond Street£25,000 - £35,000
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Kate Flitcroft
Co-Head of Department UK
Charlotte Holmes
Senior Specialist
Jose MariaFiguerola
Senior Specialist
Aimee Wickes
Sale Coordinator
VAN CLEEF AND ARPELS: CULTURED PEARL AND DIAMOND NECKLACE, CIRCA 1960
The single strand of 11.7mm - 14.9mm cultured pearls, on a bombé clasp, pavé-set with brilliant-cut diamonds, suspending a 17.3mm x 20.5mm cultured pearl drop, via a similarly-cut diamond surmount and stirrup-fitting, signed VCA, numbered 84062, lengths: necklace 41.5cm, pendant drop including central round pearl 4.8cm,
Footnotes
Provenance:
Mrs Elizabeth Coleman Crocker, née Fullerton;
Her daughter, Miss Sarah Coleman
Mrs Elizabeth Crocker was photographed wearing this cultured pearl necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels in Vogue's November 1963 issue, seated with her husband and daughter, Miss Sarah Coleman. She was the third wife of William Willard Crocker (1893–1964). Her father-in-law, William Henry Crocker I (1861-1937) was a prominent member of the Republican Party who became the president of Crocker National Bank. After her husband's death in 1964, Elizabeth married Royal Naval Commander Alexander George Francis Drogo Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester, OBE (1902-1977) in 1969.
The present necklace finds a notable parallel in the single strand natural pearl necklace commissioned from Cartier Paris in 1926 by King George V as a gift for Queen Mary. This natural pearl necklace was later passed on to her son, the Duke of Windsor, who gave it to the Duchess of Windsor who famously paired it with a natural pearl and diamond pendant drop, commissioned by the Duke of Windsor during the 1950s.
Accompanied by a report from SSEF stating that the drop pearl and all twenty-seven pearls in this necklace are of cultured origin. Report number 93749, dated 17th July 2017.
Please note, VAT is applicable at the prevailing rate on both the Hammer Price and the Buyer's Premium. An additional duty of 2% plus VAT will also be charged on the Hammer Price.