Ballater - an important Royal presentation cairngorm and freshwater pearl pendant
Auction: 14 August 2012 at 15:00 BST
Description
William Robb, unmarked, the shaped oval main cairngorm with applied gold foliate terminals and strap work, the centre applied with a heart shaped cairngorm with central freshwater pearl, the whole with crown shaped suspension with alternating turquoise and seed pearl border with garnets above and pearl set bale, in slightly later fitted case, inscribed to cover 'W.W.RANDLE, Jeweller Braemar, successor to W.Robb Jeweller to the King'
Dimensions
9cm long
Footnote
Notes: It is believed this pendant was originally made with the intention to be sold by William Robb to his ever enthusiastic and important patron Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Since opening his business in the early 1880's the Royal household at Balmoral had been important clients and collectors of his work and it was felt this piece would offer great interest to the Queen.
Queen Victoria's love of the highlands extended not only to the outdoors but the natural resources they supplied and the native 'Cairngorm' gem stone was no exception. Indeed the collection at Balmoral holds the largest known specimen of the gem.
Robb family tradition holds that this piece was made with a large but thin section of cairngorm found locally and cut to keep as large a specimen was possible, rather than the most fashionable cut. The main outline, being somewhat irregular, seems to support this. The additional section of heart shaped cairngorm and the addition of Scottish freshwater pearls (often used by Robb) show the great quality and inherent Scottish interest in this piece.
Whether the piece was ever shown to Victoria is unknown but it certainly never left the family collection. It was later boxed and used as a 'Royal Show' piece on view in William Robb's second shop in Braemar and was continued to be shown after his death when the shop was taken on by his daughter and husband Walter W. Randle.