An imperial diamond and aquamarine necklace, probably St Petersburg, late 19th/early 20th century

Half the chain designed as a laurel wreath, the other half as a recurring pattern of rosettes, diamonds and dots, a short laurel wreath suspending from each rosette and joining in pairs to a large circular-cut aquamarine of graduated size, the largest at the centre, set throughout with rose- and circular cut diamonds, inner circumference approximately 404mm. Probably for Prince Louis Battenberg (1854-1921) or his wife Princess Victoria (1863-1950), who was the sister of the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna The Collection of the Late Countess Mountbatten of Burma (1924 – 2017)