Diamonds Are Forever–and So Are Dame Shirley Bassey's Emeralds

The iconic Dame Shirley Bassey recently sold a treasure trove of jewels at auction, including a glamorous emerald suite bought to celebrate a royal moment

Auction season is in full swing in Europe, and Sotheby’s recently sold an eighty-piece collection of jewels in Paris that belonged to the iconic Dame Shirley Bassey. Today, we’re focusing on a suite of jewelry from the sale that has roots in a pivotal royal moment from the singer’s career–and that was later worn for a glittering princely gala.

Sotheby’s

On October 10, 2024, auctioneers at Sotheby’s presented 80 special lots as part of their Fine Jewels sale in Paris. The jewels, including pieces made by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, were offered by a music icon: the Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey. Perhaps best known for belting out Bond themes, Bassey’s jewelry offerings, naturally, included a whole lot of diamonds.

But Bassey singled out one particular demi-parure–a suite of diamond and emerald jewels–as the most special from the collection. The necklace and earrings, she revealed, were purchased to celebrate and commemorate a major moment from early in her career: a set at the annual Royal Variety Performance, with three members of the royal family in the audience.

Shirley Bassey sings on stage at the Royal Variety Performance at the the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, November 1961 (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)

The curtains drew back from the stage at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on November 6, 1961, to reveal 24-year-old Welsh singer Shirley Bassey, standing glamorously in a white strapless evening gown. She skipped toward the microphone, smiling broadly and snapping her fingers before breaking out into the first song of her set. “Oh, boy, I’m lucky … I’ll say I’m lucky … this is my lucky day!”