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Cairngorm Stone Suspended Fob Bracelet
Cairngorm Stone Suspended Fob Bracelet
Cairngorm Stone Suspended Fob Bracelet
Cairngorm Stone Suspended Fob Bracelet

Cairngorm Stone Suspended Fob Bracelet

Wearer (Seattle, Portland, USA, 1903 - 1991)
Maker (Aberdeen, Scotland, founded 1933)
Date1960s
Object NameBracelet
Medium9ct rose gold, smoky quartz , yellow and green citrine
ClassificationsJewellery
DimensionsBracelet Length: 18cm, Width fo Fobs: 4.5cm, 3.8cm and 3.5cm.
AcquisitionPurchased in 2010 with income from the John Black Trust.
LocationOn Display - Gallery 08
Object numberABDAG011390
About MeFrances Lovell Oldham was born in Seattle and after moving to Europe in her early teens she lived and worked in Rome, Florence and Paris before moving to London where her career in fashion journalism took off. She became the fashion editor at Vogue and then editor at Hazper's Baazar during the 1940s.

She became Mrs Frances Farquharson in 1949 when she married Captain Alwyne Farquharson of Invercauld and moved to Scotland where she successfully rejuvenated the Invercauld estate.

Frances was known for her eclectic and highly original outfits. She often wore couture with high street, accessorised with statement jewellery, shoes and handbags. When she moved to Scotland she embraced and reinterpreted the traditional dress, commissioning fabulous outfits in tartan, tweed and mohair from local mills and tailors. She had close links with the woollen industry and promoted local materials. She often wore the Farquharson tartan to events, such as the Braemar Gathering.

Mrs Farquharson died in 1991 and several years later her daughter presented to the Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums a large collection of clothes and accessories worn by her mother. The gift was a comprehensive collection that represented the two sides of Mrs Farquharson's personality. Bold designer pieces by Schiaparelli, of whom she was a great friend, and bright mohair suits illustrate her vivacious and quirky side, while traditional tartan and tweed ensembles show the affection and respect she had for her adopted home country.

This citrine and smoky quartz bracelet may be referred to as being set with 'Cairngorm' stones. Aberdeen and the surrounding area has a strong tradition of fashioning cairngorm and granite set jewellery and it has been suggested that this piece was made and bought from Jamieson and Carry. Although this is supposition, during the 1960s Jamieson and Carry were one of the last jewellers to be working in this tradition. They not only had a branch in Aberdeen, but also one in Ballater. Given that Mrs Farquharson sourced her clothing locally it is likely that the cairngorm jewellery was also purchased from retailers in Aberdeen and the surrounding area. It is more than likely that this bangle was worn together with the heavy tartan and tweed suits sported by Mrs Farquharson.

More About Me
Farquharson was a fashion editor at Vogue and then editor at Harper's Bazaar during the 1940s.  She was known for vivacious and highly original outfits as well as couture and traditional dress.
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