Diamond Brooch with 540 Years of History
November 24, 24
(IDEX Online) - An historic diamond brooch from 1789, set with a lock of King Edward IV's hair, has sold at auction in England for $9,700, just short of its high estimate.
Edward IV came to the throne in 1461 as the first Yorkist king of England, during the Wars of the Roses - 30 years of civil war between the York and Lancaster dynasties.
He was briefly deposed in 1470, but won back power a year later.
Edward IV died in 1483 and was buried at the Windsor Castle chapel. Three centuries later, during renovations, his tomb was accidentally disturbed, and his coffin was opened.
Strands of his hair were recovered and used to fashion commemorative mourning jewelry, which was popular at the time.
It was originally designed as a ring, and later became a brooch.
Dreweatts, auctioneers and valuers since 1759, describe it as a "glazed oval bezel containing a lock of Edward IV's hair in the form of a bow above the rose cut diamond cypher ER, beneath a rose cut diamond crown, on a light blue enamel ground, within an old European cut diamond surround, the curved reverse engraved Hair of Edward 4th, who died [Ap]ril 9th 1483, discovered at Win[dsor], March 1789."
Pic courtesy Dreweatts.