Precious Fabergé flower worth up to £1 million unveiled at Himley Hall
A rare and precious jewel which has been valued at £1 million by experts was unveiled in the Black Country today.
The Fabergé flower was gifted to the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars (QOWH) in 1904 by the Countess of Dudley, the wife of Lord Dudley, the Second in Command of the Regiment, on the soldiers return to the Midlands from the Boer War in South Africa.
The five-inch pear blossom ornament set in rock crystal, gold, silver stamens and diamonds, is set to feature in an episode of the Antiques Roadshow, hosted by Fiona Bruce, on Sunday.
The jewel was brought in on behalf of the Squadron – now known as B Squadron the Royal Yeomanry – while the show was filming at the Black Country Living Museum last summer, and was on display at Himley Hall and Park yesterday. It is one of only three items to be valued at £1 million in the Antiques Roadshow's 40-year history – joining the Angel of the North and the FA Cup.
Stamford Cartwright MBE, Honorary Colonel of the Royal Yeomanry's B Squadron, said: "It was gifted to mark that first occasion they were deployed overseas. On the evening before they left, they were each given a sprig of pear blossom to wear on their hats – reminding them of the county they were leaving.
"In the 1990s it was valued at just over £50,000 – so it has gone up a lot over the last 20 or so years.
"It is just a lovely piece. As long as I have served since the mid 1960s, it has always been their focal point – it is a continuous reminder of things that have gone before, that is still going forward and there is still people in Worcestershire serving. They all know and respect that flower.
"The flower provides this focal point, continuity and identification with the regiment."
For decades the pear blossom ornament has been used as a centrepiece at formal dinners and events, and according to Colonel Cartwright, it became "part of the furniture".
Captain Andy Peters of the B Squadron said: "For us it is the point of significance. It commemorates those soldiers who gave their lives in war.
"It was the first time the part-time soldiers had served overseas, when the war came around volunteers were asked to go overseas – this ornament commemorates that moment in time and since then they have been used in any conflict or operation overseas.
"This piece signifies that moment in history for us.
"It is the significance of the piece to us – rather than the valuation. I don't believe it will ever be sold. It comes out for special occasions, special visitors and special regimental occasions.
"It is an item that not many people know about. I am excited to se the reaction to it."
When filming at the Black Country Museum last summer, Fiona Bruce said: "Word quickly got around that something very special had been brought in. We weren't disappointed."
The Antiques Roadshow's jewellery expert, Geoffrey Munn, described how his "pulse was racing" at the sight of the precious object.
He added: “It’s a study; a sculpture of a pear blossom rendered in enamelled gold and the centres of each flower have a tiny dew drop which is a diamond - it is supported in a vase made of rock crystal.
“It the rarest, most poetic manifestation of Faberge’s work that one could ever hope to see.”
The Faberge flower is owned by the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Charitable Trust.
