A spectacular diamond and pearl tiara owned by Hannah de Rothschild, once known as Britain’s wealthiest woman sold at a London auction on Wednesday for £1,161,250 ($1,900,000, 1,305,908 euros).

The Victorian court style tiara features 13 saltwater pearls, six button-shaped ones and seven pear-shaped pearls all surrounded by diamonds. Also sold at auction was a matching diamond and pearl bracelet and brooch belonging to the heiress. The three pieces of jewelry were sold from a private collection for the first time since they were first created 140 years ago.

“The Rosebery pearl and diamond tiara, bracelet and brooch were at the heart of Lady Rosebery’s vast array of magnificent jewels, which rivaled those of crowned heads of Europe at the time,” said Keith Penton, Head of Jewels at Christie’s London.

“They are a rare survival of 19th century English aristocratic splendour, as so much ancestral jewellery has been sold anonymously, remounted or broken down,” he added.

Hannah Primrose de Rothschild was a socially and politically active heiress whose husband Archibald Philip eventually became prime minister. It is believed the jewels were acquired at the time of marriage. Shortly before their wedding, Hannah’s husband described her to a friend in a letter as: ‘very simple, very unspoilt, very clever, very warm hearted and very shy…I never knew such a beautiful character’. Upon her father’s death in 1874, she inhereted various properties including a turreted mansion in Buckinghamshire, a large collection of jewels and £2million – an extraordinary sum of money at the time.

Congratulations to the newly wed Royal Couple! The Royal Wedding ceremony was held 6 a.m. EST this morning at Westminister Abbey where Prince William and Kate Middleton exchanged vows after nearly a decade of courtship. With all the anticipation over her nuptial attire, the now ennobled Duchess of Cambridge looked dazzling by all accounts. Kate managed to harmoniously balance royal tradition with her own sense of modern style. Here’s an overview of her elegant ensamble including something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue:

Something Old – Kate’s spectacular ivory white Alexander McQueen gown was designed by creative director Sarah Burton. Middleton worked closely with Burton in formulating the design of her dress which combines traditional fabrics and lacework with modern structure into the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. The Carrickmacross needlework in the beautiful lace sleeves and accents is a technique that dates back to the 1800s.

Something New – The royal bride’s custom made diamond earrings were a personal gift to her from her parents for her wedding day. The platinum earrings feature a pear-shaped diamond set drop oak leaf design and pave set acorn motif suspended in the center inspired by the new Middleton family coat of arms. The earrings were beautifully set off by her hair; a natural “demi-chignon” styled by James Pryce from Kate’s favorite salon, Richard Ward of Chelsea, London.

Something Borrowed – Loaned to Middleton by Queen Elizabeth, Kate’s delicate diamond halo tiara held together her veil and perfectly topped off her gown. The tiara was crafted in 1936 and purchased by the Duke of York for his wife(Elizabeth’s mother). Then Princess Elizabeth received the gift for her 18th birthday.

Something Blue – Perhaps the most famous piece bridal jewelry of all is Middleton’s diamond and blue sapphire engagement ring. Honoring his late mother Princess Diana, Prince William gave the exquisite ring to Middleton when he proposed in November 2010. The 18 carat ring features an oval shaped blue sapphire center worth approximately $300,000. Sapphires are actually rarer than diamonds, but less expensive because the demand is lower.

Actress, singer, dancer and business sensation Jennifer Lopez is heating things up in September 2010’s Glamour cover story. Wearing an exotic cheetah print body suit by Dolce & Gabanna, the diva extraordinaire is featured in a variety of enticing diamond earrings, rings, pendants and necklaces by some of the jewelry industry’s most innovative designers. The earthy fashion and accessory tones seen in the shots reflect Fall 2010’s trend forecast. We especially love that Le Vian Chocolate Diamond® Ball & Chain Bracelet she’s wearing as she holds an over-sized Queen of Diamonds card as well those Christian Louboutin shoes in the far right shot below!

J. Lo is living as big as fabulous as ever- she’s just not letting the paparazzi watch. In this issue, she opens up to the magazine about motherhood, marriage and the bold fashion she shows off here. Her latest movie “The Backup Plan” released this year grossed a healthy 77.5 million world wide which proves the actress still has staying power. Jenny from the block is hard at work with a new album titled “Love?” due to release later this year. A number of singles for the album have already been released, including: “Louboutins” and a video for her song “Fresh out the oven (featuring Pitbull)” directed by Jonas Akerlund. Both tracks have been successful peaking at number one on Billboard’s “Hot Dance Club Songs Chart.”

Here are our favorite jewelry highlights of the evening:

Eva Longoria accented her strapless flowing black gown with a dramatic pair of ruby chandelier earrings.

These stunning emerald cut Chrysoprase white gold earrings surrounded by rose cut and pave diamonds were custom made for Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Singer and songwriter Jewel’s pink stone and diamond dangle earrings complimented her lace gown wonderfully.

Columbian beauty Sofia Vergara looked like a golden Emmy herself shimmering in a strapless Carolina Herrera gown with matching bold statement dangle earrings.

Lea Michele arguably wore the most contradicting pieces of the evening. Her navy ruffled Oscar De La Rente gown was considered the biggest flop at the event by some, but her platinum mesh necklace featuring 300 carats of multi-colored diamonds was a sure win.

Stunning Project Runway host Heidi Klum, known for having an affinity for bold jewelry pieces, graced the red carpet in a dramatic diamond and ruby necklace worth $3 million.

Julie Benz glammed up her simple ensamble with a sparkling platinum diamond bib necklace.

Kimberly Kardashian looked absolutely gorgeous in an Egyptian-inspired Grecian goddess of a Marchesa gown and 80 carat cuff bangle featuring white and champagne diamonds. Her ensamble was arguably the biggest win of the evening.

Sofia Vergara grabs a second category of ours in best jewelry with this marvelous gold cuff bangle complimenting her matching gown and earrings.

Kyra Sedgwick paired a number of platinum bracelets with multi-colored gemstones on one hand and this marvelous platinum rubellite ring weighing 60 carats on the other.

Here’s a few shots from the session:

]]> http://www.firenzejewels.com/jewelry_blog/michelle-williams-fine-designer-jewelry/feed/ 0