Kieran McCarthy's book Fabergé in London lists Walter Winans as one of the Russian jeweller's best customers in their London store. Luckily for us, records of the items he purchased are in excellent condition.
Walter Winans
Winans had strong ties to Russia which could be a factor in his patronage of Fabergé. He was born in St Petersburg in 1852 where his father and uncle were responsible for building the Moscow - St Petersburg line. He was an intriguing character. Our research into him has led us to read some fascinating accounts of his hobbies. His interests ranged from the arts as a sculptor, painter, and jewellery collector to gentlemanly outdoor pursuits.
He was renowned for being a crack shot, so much so that he represented the USA in the 1908 and 1912 Olympics, taking home gold and silver medals respectively. His love of all things equestrian combined these two largely different areas of interest. His skill as a sculptor was more than that of a passing fancy. Winans won a gold medal in the Arts Competition during the 1912 Olympics for his bronze An American trotter. He unfortunately passed away from a seizure while competing in a horse race in August 1920 aged just 68. He is reported to have said "Catch my horse" as he fell from his saddle, a keen equestrian to the end.
Purchases at Fabergé
Over his years of shopping at Fabergé, the records show Winans purchasing 27 items. Some of the jewels cost over £200. In Edwardian Britain, this sum of money would have equated to nearly 2 years of work by a skilled tradesperson.
In January 1908, the 14th, to be exact, the records show the sale of 2 "chains" costing £91. One of the necklaces was a chain with pink enamel and pearls and cost £65. In today's money, that would be around £5,000. The numbers we found engraved on the chain match this inventory listing, confirming that it is exactly the same necklace.
What is intriguing about this purchase is the customer. According to Fabergé's records, although someone called Miss Meade selected the items, Walter Winans paid for them. Having made this discovery, we set out to discover more about this mysterious Miss Meade. While we have our theories, ultimately we never found any concrete evidence as to who she was.
Walter Winans' Fabergé necklace at auction
This gold, enamel, and pearl necklace, as described in the Fabergé records, is offered for sale in our Fine Jewellery auction in May.
When we consigned this item for sale, we had an inkling that it might be special. After some further inspection, we found makers' marks for Fabergé as well as the stock number. The A*H mark on the necklace lets us know that it was the workmaster August Hollming who made this piece.
Lot 474 has an estimate of £5,000 - £7,000.

Fine Jewellery | Thursday 23rd May
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