Army Regiment's Rare £1m Jewel 'Sets Pulse Racing'

A rare and precious jewel belonging to the Black Country Cavalry has been valued at £1 million by a television antique expert.

The Fabergé flower - a five-inch pear blossom set in rock crystal, gold, silver stamens and diamonds - was given to a West Midlands Army regiment over a century ago and is used as a table decoration for Army dinners. 

The jewel was valued as one of the most expensive items ever on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow in its 40-year history.

Previous items given a valuation of over £1 million are a model of Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North and the FA Cup which was presented between 1911 and 1992.

Stamford Cartwright, Honorary Colonel of The Royal Yeomanry’s B (Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Squadron, brought the Fabergé flower to the show at the Black Country Living Museum and quickly roused people's interest. 

Presenter Fiona Bruce said word flew around that "something very special had been brought in", while jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn described how his "pulse was racing" at the sight of the object.

Colonel Cartwright said:

"This is a very special piece that is a focal point for the regiment, veterans and serving soldiers.

"It reminds us of the sacrifice of fallen comrades and our links to the past."

"Despite uniforms and personnel changing, the jewel is a symbol of continuity that goes back over a century."

The Black Country soldiers thought the jewel was worth around £50,000 and for decades it has been used as a centrepiece at formal dinners and events. 

The Fabergé flower was presented to the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars by the Countess of Dudley in around 1904, when the soldiers' returned from the Boer War in South Africa.

The Countess's husband, William Ward, the second Earl of Dudley, was a major in the Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars at the start of the 20th century. 

Major Will Mawby, Officer Commanding B Squadron, also known as the Black Country Cavalry and the modern-day successor to the Worcestershire Hussars, said: "We are very proud of the jewel but gone are the days when it would come on exercise and be kept under the Squadron leader’s bed.

"It is kept in the most secure of locations. On special occasions it sits in front of me but I daren’t touch it with my butter fingers!"

Despite its valuation, the jewel will continue to be used as a table decoration for Army dinners.

All images: British Army.