Life is Beautiful: London
Life is Beautiful: London
From the collection of Lady Sarah Aspinall
Collection of garnet jewels, 19th century
Lot Closed
September 9, 03:31 PM GMT
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Comprising: a necklace set with a graduated series of oval garnets, length approximately 398mm, pair of earrings of chandelier design, set with pear-shaped and oval garnets, two brooches each designed as a Maltese cross, set throughout with oval, circular-cut and pear-shaped garnets, one with a glazed panel to the reverse and a brooch of flower design, set with pear-shaped garnets, a cushion shaped diamond and rose-cut diamond accents, French assay mark and maker's mark.
Lady Sarah Aspinall (née Curzon), born in 1945, was the daughter of Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe (1884-1964), five times British motor racing champion and winner of Le Man and Mille Miglia. The world of motor sport was a consistent theme in her life when in 1966 she went onto marry the racing driver Piers Courage (1942-1970) with whom she had two children. Their wedding was a society highlight and is well remembered for the iconic image of Lady Aspinall with her veil being dramatically blown behind her in the wind. Sadly, Courage’s life prematurely came to an end in a devastating crash at the 1970 Dutch F1 Grand Prix, caused by an engine malfunction. Life continued with her second husband John Aspinall (1926-2000), zoo owner and gambling host, whom she met through parties hosted at Aspinall’s house, Howletts. Her marriage saw her care not only for her children but for the exotic animals populating Howletts and Port Lympne, his two zoos. Aspinall passed away in 2000 from cancer. The Aspinall Foundation continues his work in the promotion of wildlife conservation.