Diamond bracelet once owned by Russian princess expected to fetch thousands at Shropshire auction

Purportedly once owned by Princess Irena Obolensky, it was last purchased at Christie's 2005 Important Jewellery Auction.

The House of Obolensky was a princely Russian family, with a similar status as Duke or Duchess. The aristocrats mostly fled their homeland during the Russian Revolution in 1917.

A description of the bracelet on Trevanion's website reads: "An early 20th century diamond set bracelet, circa 1920, the seven openwork square panels pave set with mixed cut diamonds, with curved double row diamond set spacers, the hinge hidden as a seventh curved spacer, all set in white metal and open to the reverse, 16.5cm long, 43gms, unmarked, total diamond weight estimated 20ct.

"The composition and workmanship evident in this bracelet is comparable with the jewellery being created by Cartier during the interwar period.

"There is a distinct Persian influence to this exquisite diamond bracelet with strong geometric and buckle-link motifs, which are repeated to form the subtle clasp. These decorative motifs were borrowed from across Mughal, Persian and Chinese decorative arts, and formed a key element of Cartier’s style vocabulary in the Art Deco era."

The bracelet is accompanied by a copy of a photograph of Princess Irena Obolensky, appearing to show her wearing the item.

The auctioneers expect the bracelet to fetch between £12,000 and £18,000 when it goes under the hammer on Wednesday, April 24 at 10am.

More information can be found online at trevanion.com/auctions.