Unique Faberge ornament to go on public display

The Pear Blossom is made of gold, diamond and jade

A one-of-a-kind ornament, created by the Imperial Russian jewellery firm Faberge and valued at £1m, is to go on public display for one day only at a military museum.

The Pear Blossom was commissioned by Rachel, Countess of Dudley, and gifted to The Queen's Own Worcestershire Hussars on the regiment's return from the Boer War in 1904.

It will go on display at The Commandery in Worcester on 9 November, as part of the city's Armistice commemorations.

Maj Jonathan Astley, chair of the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Trust, which owns the item, said it was an "amazing" opportunity for people to see something incredibly unique and valuable.

"It's a piece of our history, the same as all these other bits of silver," explained Maj Astley. "We have to make use of them. We have to show them off."

Chair of the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Trust, Maj Jonathan Astley, said the Pear Blossom was an "emblem" of the military service of Worcestershire's soldiers over many centuries

The Pear Blossom is normally kept at a secure location in the West Midlands.

It consists of a solid piece of rock crystal holding a gold stem, decorated with leaves made of Siberian jade and six flowers, each containing a rose diamond.

The museum's curator, Colonel Stamford Cartwright, said pears had been associated with Worcestershire for centuries.

Before the Hussars left Britain to fight in the Boer War - the first time the regiment had been deployed outside of the UK - Lady Dudley presented each soldier with a silk pear blossom flower to wear in their hat and remind them of home.

"Eventually the war ended, and in 1904, the regiment returned to Worcester," said Col Cartwright. "In December, they were awarded their first battle honour, which was South Africa.

"To celebrate, the Countess of Dudley had commissioned from Faberge this wonderful item.

"It's the most beautiful piece."

A battle honour is what a regiment is awarded when they come back from a campaign, allowing them to bear the name of certain locations on their standards.

Col Stamford Cartwright, the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum's curator, said The Pear Blossom was "unique"

In 2018, Col Cartwright appeared on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, where The Pear Blossom was valued at £1m.

"I think that staggered everybody," he said. "We had no idea it was going to come to that sort of figure."

Reflecting its historic and monetary value, the ornament will have its own special guard of soldiers when it goes on display in Worcester.

"Things like this will never ever be made again, I believe," said Col Cartwright.

The ornament was valued at £1m when Col Cartwright took it to the Antiques Roadshow in 2018

Maj Astley said he hoped it would help visitors to appreciate the service given by soldiers from Worcestershire, not just in the Boer War, but in all conflicts.

"This is one small emblem of that service," he added. "And because it goes back to the first time that the Yeomanry were called up to serve overseas, it's a piece of history."