5 minute read
BY ROYAL COMMISSION
Commission By Royal
Jewellery house Pragnell discusses its previous royal commissions with Claire Roberts, as it looks forward to revealing another as the Platinum Jubilee approaches
rowns, tiaras, brooches, pearls – Her Majesty’s jewellery box is filled with extraordinary pieces, many of which are reserved for only the most important occasions. Which jewels from her peerless collection will she choose to wear in June, when the nation joins her to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee – the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years of service?
One of her 98 heirloom brooches, certainly – a jewellery staple for The Queen – and a diamond tiara from her collection for the Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace. There is a single jewel that is a certainty and that is her diamond engagement ring, which was created by the prestigious Bond Street jeweller Philip Antrobus and has quietly been of service to The Queen for more than 75 years.
A constant companion throughout Her Majesty’s entire time on the throne, her engagement ring remains in the spotlight to this day through the acquisition of Antrobus by the jeweller Pragnell. Today one of the UK’s most prestigious jewellery houses, Pragnell is known worldwide for creating rare and exceptional jewels, handcrafted in Britain. With three showrooms in Stratford-upon-Avon, London’s Mayfair and Leicester, the company was founded by George Pragnell in 1954 and remains family run and led, with Charlie Pragnell, grandson of George, at the helm. It was Charlie who, in 2017, chose to re-examine its regal connections, which are inherited through the acquisition of Philip
CAntrobus and earned through his grandfather George Pragnell’s early brush with royalty. By the time George opened his jewellery shop at Five Wood Street in Stratford-upon-Avon – built by a friend of William Shakespeare and the company’s HQ to this day – he had already met the future Queen Elizabeth II. As a young apprentice working for Queen Mary’s private jeweller, George would, on occasion, be asked to entertain the two young Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, while their grandmother perused the jewels on display. Little did he know that two generations later, his family would own the company responsible for creating the engagement ring of the young princess he had been instructed to entertain and also the Antrobus bracelet – a wedding gift from the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. These two jewels, both worn by Princess Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947, were honoured by Pragnell in 2017, when the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Royal Platinum Anniversary. “Now is the time to tell the story of the beautiful jewellery that, for 70 years, has symbolised the monarchy, power, longevity and love,” declared Charlie Pragnell. And what a story it was. Without Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenburg, neither jewel would exist today. Her gift of a magnificent antique diamond tiara, dismantled and with the diamonds removed, enabled Philip to commission Antrobus to create an engagement ring fit for a future Queen, set
with a three-carat round brilliant diamond centre stone – a very respectable size but not too ostentatious, in line with post-war austerity. A keen horsewoman from an early age, Princess Elizabeth’s active lifestyle informed the design, which had to be fit for purpose. Rather than the traditional four or six claws, the final design featured an eight-claw setting in platinum – the most resilient of the precious metals – to secure the centre diamond in place.
Just four months after their engagement, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh wed at Westminster Abbey. During that time, the craftsmen at Antrobus had been working around the clock on the Duke’s second royal commission: an Art Decoinspired diamond bracelet set with the remaining diamonds from the tiara. The bracelet is another key piece for Pragnell and a real statement creation featuring stepped geometric motifs centred around three diamonds. “We have the original gouache painting of the bracelet in our archives,” says Charlie Pragnell. “It’s a piece that the Queen still wears regularly and has also been loaned to Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, for special events, including a state visit to China and the BAFTAS.”
Honouring the 70th anniversary of their engagement, Pragnell designed a contemporary interpretation of the Queen’s bespoke ring, based on a gouache painting of the original from its archives. The platinum ‘Antrobus setting’ engagement ring features a tapered eight-claw setting with a cluster of four different-sized diamonds either side of the central diamond. The house also unveiled a reimagined Antrobus bracelet – a masterpiece featuring more than 70 components, set with 45 carats of diamonds. It took more than three months of diligent handcrafting to set all 320 round diamonds alone, but the effect was mesmerising. With all the antique charm of the original, the modern brilliant cut diamonds in the revisited bracelet gave it a magnificent, radiant presence.
The contemporary interpretation of the bracelet recently sold, but plans are underway at Pragnell to create a new jewel for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. While details are being kept under wraps for now, the jeweller has confirmed that it will be crafted in diamonds and platinum, just like the Queen’s engagement ring.
There are many pictures of Her Majesty wearing the ring, but one, in particular, stands out – the young Princess, clearly in love, gazing adoringly up at her fiancée. What makes a bespoke commission so special at Pragnell is the story behind its creation. When clients are looking for inspiration for their own custom-made piece, Pragnell need only point them in the direction of this most regal of love stories.
A gouache painting of the royal engagement ring was used as inspiration for a new contemporary interpretation Jewells from a tiara, gifted by Princess Alice of Battenburg, were used to create The Queen's engagement ring At Pragnell, expert craftspeople use sophisticated modern processes blended with traditional goldsmith techniques
