Absolutely Superb Rare Antique English George V Period (1920s) Mappin & Webb 15ct Gold, Diamond & Pink Morganite Brooch In Original Velvet & Silk Lined Leather Presentation Box (2”/5cm, 3.2g).
Fantastic item. Please browse all 12 sets of photographs attached for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory.
This item is from the British King George V era. George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Mappin & Webb was founded in 1775 when Jonathan Mappin opened a silver workshop in Sheffield, then as now a major centre of the English silver trade.
As a natural progression from silverware, Mappin & Webb created jewels for royal courts across the globe, from the Queen of France Marie-Antoinette, to the Empress of Russia and Princess Grace of Monaco. The brand historically held Royal Warrants to both the Russian Empire and the Japanese Royal Household.
Queen Victoria was the first monarch to commission Mappin & Webb. Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee necklace was created by the house in 1888 and was designated by the queen as an heirloom of the crown.
Royal Warrant holders since 1897, Mappin & Webb maintains warrants to both Her Majesty the Queen of England and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Mappin & Webb’s master craftsman was appointed in 2012 to the position of Crown Jeweller, the custodian of the British Crown Jewels and is responsible for preparing them for the State opening of Parliament and other state occasions.
Morganite is a superb gemstone. It often comes in shades of pale pink, purple, and orange. Pink morganite is the rarest and most valuable morganite. It has traditionally been mined in Brazil, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Namibia, the United States and Madagascar. Morganite is also known as pink beryl, rose beryl, pink emerald, and "cesian(or caesian) beryl". Today, most of the world's supply of morganite is being mined in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Morganite is pleochroic, when it is viewed down its crystallographic axis the color is much more pink. Morganite is the pink to orange-pink variety of beryl, a mineral that includes emerald and aquamarine. Blends of pink and orange are typical natural morganite colors. oval cut morganite displays stronger colors at the ends of its oval shape. Many prefer it to emerald as morganite lacks inclusions and fractures, thus making it much more durable than emerald!
A single carat of top quality morganite costs about a quarter of a price of equivalent diamond. It is a fantastic collector’s gemstone. It is an extremely sought after gemstone for jewellery enthusiasts around the world. Morganite is known to aid treating the physical heart and has been said to alleviate palpitations and other heart related issues
Morganite is named after J. P. Morgan. John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (1837 – 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street, USA, known as J.P. Morgan and Co. He was the driving force behind the wave of industrial consolidation in the United States spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Morgan was a collector of gems, books, pictures, paintings, clocks and other art objects, many loaned or given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Morgan was one of America's most important collectors of gems and had assembled the most important gem collection in the U.S. Tiffany & Co. assembled his first collection under their Chief Gemologist, George Frederick Kunz. The collection was exhibited at the World's Fair in Paris in 1889. The exhibit won two golden awards and drew the attention of important scholars, lapidaries, and the general public.
George Frederick Kunz continued to build a second, even finer, collection which was exhibited in Paris in 1900. These collections have been donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where they were known as the Morgan-Tiffany and the Morgan-Bement collections. It was George Kunz In who in 1911 named a newly found gem after his best customer morganite.
Morgan exercised enormous influence over the nation's policies and the market forces underlying its economy. During the Panic of 1907, he organized a coalition of financiers that saved the American monetary system from collapse.
J.P. Morgan spent three months of every year in London where he owned two houses. An avid yachtsman, Morgan owned several large yachts. The well-known quote, "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it" is commonly attributed to Morgan in response to a question about the cost of maintaining a yacht.
Morgan was scheduled to travel on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, but canceled at the last minute, choosing to remain at a resort in France.The White Star Line, which operated Titanic, was part of Morgan's International Mercantile Marine Company, and Morgan was to have his own private suite and promenade deck on the ship. In response to the sinking of Titanic, Morgan purportedly said:
Monetary losses amount to nothing in life. It is the loss of life that counts. It is that frightful death.
Morgan died while traveling abroad on March 31, 1913, just shy of his 76th birthday. He died in his sleep at the Grand Hotel Plaza in Rome, Italy.
His estate was worth $68.3 million ($25.2 billion today) of which about $30 million represented his share in the New York and Philadelphia banks. The value of his art collection was estimated at $50 million!