It’s a pearl thing

IN February 1918, after 3½ devastating years of war, Lady Northcliffe, wife of the proprietor of The Times and the Daily Mail, founded the Pearl Appeal, by which English women were invited to donate single pearls from their collections, each representing a loved one lost, to make up necklaces that could be sold to benefit the British Red Cross. The pearls rolled in (4,000 of them) and included two worn by the Countess of Rothes the night she survived the sinking of Titanic; Violet Astor, whose husband died in 1914, was a contributor. The auction of 41 necklaces at Christie’s raised £100,000 for wounded soldiers.

The poignant stories behind the donations are told in a book published earlier this year, Pearls Before Poppies by Rachel Trethewey (£20, The History Press, Books, May 23). The resulting publicity has led the owners of the only known surviving set of pearls to come forward and, on December 10, visitors to Christie’s, London SW1, can view it, speak to the author and buy a signed copy of the book. Last year, The History Press, Christie’s and British Red Cross revived the appeal, raising £275,000.